The Fall of Naruto
by deafdrum
Summary: After a mission goes fatally wrong, a devastated Naruto strikes a bargain with an enemy that will alter his life and the lives of those around him.
1. Chapter 1

**The Fall of Naruto**

**Chapter 1**

It was the worst storm Rice Field Country had seen in years. Thunder illuminated the night sky in pulsating bursts, as winds howled and thunder exploded. Inside the forests were particularly deafening. The roar of continuous rain on the leaves and the cracking of branches from the violent winds all but eliminated the sound of footsteps. Making his way through the forest by stepping on high branches between trees, a hooded, slightly hunched-over figure emerged from the dense brush and came to a stop on a rocky crag overlooking a deep valley, almost completely concealed by the clouds and the surrounding mountains. As the wind continued whipping at his cloak, the figure bent down and looked intently over the crag's edge. As the low clouds swept over the valley, several dim lights could be seen. Lantern lights from a village. The figure stood up and quickly proceeded down a narrow gravelly trail to that led to the bottom of the valley.

Despite the storm's ferocity, the taverns of the Hidden Village of Sound were as lively as ever. Ninjas and civilians alike crowded around tables, gambling, laughing and drinking, as sake poured into cups almost as abundantly as the water poured through the drainpipes in the streets. The noise inside one particular tavern all but matched the noise of the storm outside, all except one corner table, where four men sat in silence. Finally, one spoke:

"I see your fifty, and raise another twenty."

"Call."

The second man laid down 70 ryous on the table, as a cloud of smoke from a cigarette encircled his head. The first man smirked.

"I figured I could reel you in, Taro. Let's see you beat a full house, queens over fives."

He set down his cards revealing his hand, the other men at the table grunted their approval, but the man named Taro simply shook his head.

"Sorry Mugetsu, not this time."

Taro dropped his cards on the table; four nines. Mugetsu cursed and banged his fist on the table.

"You've got a pretty impressive streak going. If I didn't know you better…"

Taro chuckled. "It's not in my nature to cheat. Takes the satisfaction out of the win. Nope, it's pure luck and skill this time."

"Alright, fine, but this ends now. One more hand. I'll buy you a drink if you win."

Taro held up his hand as he stood up. "Can't. I've got guard duty now. Plus, I think I've had enough to drink for the night. I'm starting to get a headache as it is. I'll see you guys later."

Donning his coat and his forehead protector, Taro payed the bartender and headed outside. The wind and rain had calmed slightly, but the thunder and lightning still glared and blared into the night. Taro walked for a couple of miles to the outskirts of the town and entered a narrow alleyway deceptively hidden in shadow. As Taro descended a few stairs into the passage, a rough voice called out "Password."

Taro responded, "_Kekkei Genkai Sharingan_."

"Proceed."

Taro walked to the end of the alley where another man met him. "All yours, Taro."

"Thanks, Yosuke."

Yosuke pulled his hood over his head and trudged back to the alleyway entrance as Taro took his place. Taro pulled out another cigarette and his lighter, but was having trouble lighting because of the wind. After finally having success, he put his pack back into his pocket but his lighter slipped out of his wet gloves. Taro bent down to pick it up, and just then heard something heavy hit the ground outside the alleyway. Taro straightened up and cautiously walked toward the alleyway entrance. Turning the corner, he noticed something on the ground. Looking closer, he discovered it was a crumpled, unconscious figure.

"Yosuke…?"

Sensing someone behind him, Taro whirled around, and was met by a short crouching figure. Taro instinctively reached for a kunai, but it was too late. At the moment before Taro blacked out, a streak of lightning flashed across the sky, partially illuminating the stranger's head and what Taro recognized as a forehead protector with the symbol of the Hidden Leaf Village.

The stranger looked for a moment at the motionless bodies of the two sound shinobi, then turned and entered the alleyway. Reaching the wall at the end of the alleyway, the stranger raised two fingers and muttered, "Release." What was at first a grey stone wall slowly morphed into a doorway. The stranger entered and the "wall" morphed back into place behind him. In front of the stranger lay a long corridor with torches lining the walls. The torches revealed the walls as being solid rock. Obviously the stranger was no longer in the village, but underground. The corridor continued for several feet, eventually leading to a four-way intersection. The stranger stopped for a moment and turned his head to the left and to the right. Continuing straight ahead, the stranger took two steps and quickly crouched. An object whizzed over his head and embedded itself into the wooden handle of a torch behind him. A voice echoed loudly through the corridors. "State your intentions."

The stranger rose to his feet and answered calmly, "I want to see Orochimaru."

A silhouetted figure suddenly materialized in the corridor on the stranger's left. Walking slowly toward the stranger, the torchlight revealed the figure's face and reflected off his round spectacles and the kunai held in his right hand. "Who are you?" he demanded.

The stranger let out a short chuckle. "I'm surprised you didn't recognize my voice after all we've been through, Kabuto-san."

Kabuto, unsurprised at the stranger's knowledge of his name, brandished the kunai and moved closer to the figure. "I'll ask you one more time, and then I won't hesitate to kill you. What is your name?"

The stranger took one step forward into the light and pulled back his hood, revealing blonde, unkempt hair and thin lines running across his cheek.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Kabuto was again unsurprised at the Konoha ninja standing before him, yet his brow furrowed in confusion. This was not the Naruto he knew. The Naruto he knew would have answered Kabuto's threat with one of his own, and then proceeded to immediately, but foolishly act on that threat. The Naruto that was standing in front of him now showed no sign of hostility, and instead stared back at Kabuto with a somber expression. _No wonder I couldn't recognize his voice, _Kabuto thought to himself. _He's not speaking with his usual arrogant and immature tone._ _And his eyes_…_something is drastically different with the eyes_.

So extreme was this divergence in Naruto's semblance that it caused Kabuto to lower his kunai, something he would never dream of doing when facing any enemy shinobi, much less the one standing before him. A smile crept onto Kabuto's lips. Perhaps this was all just a façade. "Ah, Naruto-kun…come again to rescue Sasuke have we? It's a shame you haven't learned by now that Sasuke will never return to Konoha…that is, until Orochimaru takes over his body and returns to destroy it. I assure you all your efforts are in vain."

Naruto shook his head. "I didn't come for Sasuke."

His docile expression seemed to cement the integrity of his claim. This time Kabuto was surprised. Could it be that Naruto gave up in his hero's quest? Why so sudden? Kabuto could remember only a few months ago when Team Kakashi arrived at their hideout in another attempt to retrieve Sasuke, only to be repelled by Sasuke's growing power. What could have possibly happened in those few months that changed Naruto's mind? _There's those eyes again…what could they possibly mean?_

Kabuto couldn't help voicing his thoughts. "Then why are you here?"

"I need to ask a favor of Orochimaru."

Kabuto thought he detected a slight pause in the middle of that sentence, as if the words were somewhat hard to get out. Despite his request, Kabuto knew that Naruto still harbored extreme animosity toward Orochimaru. However, still sensing no sign of possible danger, Kabuto saw no further reason to deny the shinobi admittance.

"Fine. This way, and walk in front of me."

Naruto complied, first stooping down to pick up a large bag that had been lying next to him, strapping it on his back. Kabuto led him down several winding corridors which led to Orochimaru's chambers. When they had arrived, Kabuto opened the door and announced, "Orochimaru-sama, Uzumaki Naruto is here to…see you."

A lantern illuminated the back wall of the room where a thin, pale figure rose from a chair positioned at a desk. He turned to face Kabuto and Naruto, his snakelike eyes glinting in the lantern light. His mouth turned up into a devious smile.

"Ah, our friend the ever-loyal Konoha Genin. My complements on once again finding our lodgings. Nice of you to enter so politely, quite a difference from your usual rude, barging entrance. Tell me, is this a new tactic for your retrieval of your friend Sasuke? Perhaps you thought that if you just came in nicely and asked, we would hand him over to you, is that right?"

Naruto remained silent, and shifted his gaze away from Orochimaru. Kabuto spoke up. "He says he isn't here for Sasuke, but I don't completely trust him."

Orochimaru raised his eyebrows. "Oh? And just what is he here for?"

"I want you to do something for me." Naruto replied.

Orochimaru cackled. "My, what a surprising turn of events! I never thought I'd see the day when the proud Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki of the Hidden Leaf would come to me asking for help. In what possible manner would you ever require _my_ assistance?

Naruto's eyes had once again shifted away from Orochimaru's. It was then when Kabuto realized what was so different. It was as though all of Naruto's passion, all of his fighting will, all of his dreams that could once be seen in his gaze, were gone. He had become a mere shell of a human, devoid of all purpose and of all livelihood.

After a brief pause, Naruto turned his attention to the bag he was carrying. Kabuto noticed it was an elongated bag, only slightly shorter in length than the carrier. Naruto gently set the bag onto the stone floor, located a zipper, and proceeded to pull it down to open the bag.

Inside lay the lifeless body of Haruno Sakura, Konoha Chuunin and Naruto's fellow team member.

Suddenly everything made sense to Kabuto. If anything could cause Naruto to lose his will to live, it was the loss of her. Just from the information he gathered during his time with them at the Chunnin exam, Kabuto could tell that Naruto was fiercely protective of Sakura, and was willing to give his life to save her, if need be. Now it seems, he had failed in that respect, and there was nothing else more important than getting her back, not even saving his best friend.

Orochimaru apparently sensed the same thing. "Hm, I see, so your lady friend was tragically taken away from you and you want me to revive her?"

Naruto silently nodded.

Orochimaru turned and slowly walked back to the table where he was sitting. "It's not going to be very easy, you know. This jutsu requires a sacrifice in order to be completed."

"There are two shinobi lying unconscious outside." Naruto replied. "Take your pick."

Orochimaru acted as though he were taken aback. "Such disregard for human life! My, this has certainly changed you, Naruto-kun. Perhaps there is hope for you after all, ku ku ku."

He turned again to face Naruto. His slitted eyes narrowed as he continued. "But of course, you do realize that I won't be doing this for free. And here in lies the problem and the reason why I will never be able to help you. What could you possibly have that could be of value to me?"

This time, Naruto met Orochimaru's cold stare. "If you revive Sakura for me, _and _allow me and her to leave your hideout alive…" he reached around his neck and pulled out from beneath his shirt a necklace with a glistening crystal on the end. Orochimaru recognized it instantly.

"…then I'll give you the Demon Fox."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

--FLASHBACK: TWO WEEKS EARLIER--

"Ah, so we finally meet. I've heard a great deal of things about you. You're somewhat of a legend in our village, you know."

"I'm flattered. I wish I could return that sentiment, but I'm afraid I've never heard of you before in my life."

Dorobou smiled at the Konoha shinobi standing before him. This admission was of course meant as a subtle insult, but that matter was trivial. "I assure you that will change after today," Dorobou answered. "Leaf Village has grown stagnant and weak. The Hidden Cloud Village will soon establish its dominance over Fire Country and beyond."

His opponent, a silver-haired Jounin, gazed at him expressionlessly through the one eye that was not covered by his mask. "You are mistaken. Your militant Raikage will only bring death and despair to your village. I've seen it happen countless times in the past."

Dorobou's smile faded. "Enough talk. Let it be known that today will be the day Kagawa Dorobou will defeat the copy ninja, Hatake Kakashi!"

The Cloud shinobi vanished, and at the same instant five shuriken whizzed toward Kakashi's head. Kakashi ducked, crossing his arms to the left of his face to block Dorobou's kick which was delivered a split-second after. Dorobou jumped back, his boots skidding across the ground. A kunai appeared in his hand and he fired it at Kakashi's throat. Instinctively Kakashi reached for his own kunai bag…only to grasp at empty space. _What? What happened to--_

Dorobou's kunai connected with the momentarily distracted Kakashi. The Jounin staggered, hunching over the area where the kunai had hit.

"Looking for this?" Dorobou held up Kakashi's weapon bag. "I snatched it when you were blocking my kick. Tsk tsk, you really should be more careful."

Dorobou charged at Kakashi, who was still clutching his right shoulder. Cocking back his fist, Dorobou prepared to strike, but instead froze with a horrified look on his face. The same kunai he had thrown at Kakashi was now being held by the unscathed Konoha shinobi, its business end embedded into Dorobou's stomach.

"I may not have had any kunai, but I'm a hell of an actor." Kakashi said.

He ripped the kunai from Dorobou, who crumpled to the floor. Kakashi breathed a sigh, but quick drew back his breath when Dorobou's body dissipated into a cloudy wisp.

_Damn, it was a clone. Where is he hiding?_

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Breathing heavily, Naruto glared at his opponent, the Cloud ninja Akito Sashikizu. While on their way to Lightning country to investigate a disturbance, Team 7 was ambushed by shinobi from the Hidden Village in the Clouds. Team 8 had been sent as reinforcements, but the Cloud ninja continued bearing down on them. _These guys are no pushovers. Since when did Cloud village become so strong? _Naruto thought.

"This is the end of the line for you, boy."

"Shut your trap, you bastard! I'll kick your ass! _Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!_"

Sashikizu gripped his sword tightly as twenty shadow clones of the blonde Konoha Genin appeared and charged at him. The first five launched themselves into the air, wielding shuriken. Tokushima looked up, giving the next five Narutos on the ground an opening. The Narutos in the air flung their shuriken, while the Narutos on the ground flung themselves at Sashikizu. The cloud ninja deflected the shuriken with one wave of his sword, and sliced through the clones in the air with a second wave. One of the Narutos on the ground brought his foot up to connect with Sashikizu's unprotected face…

Only to have it stopped by Sashikizu's forearm. The cloud ninja shot his knee out and caught the clone Naruto in the chin, sending him reeling back. Sashikizu extended the rest of his leg, kicking a second Naruto into the other three who had charged him. The four clones flew back and dissipated in a cloud of smoke, through which another Naruto slid, sweeping his leg to hit Sashikizu's one leg that was still on the ground.

Just before he could connect, Sashikizu's thrust the sword downward into the clone's left shoulder.

_He's fast, _Naruto thought.

_But not fast enough._

With his back turned and his sword embedded into the ground, Sashikizu was completely vulnerable to the Naruto clone charging at him from behind. The clone jumped with his foot extended…

and was impaled by Sashikizu's sword, which he had pulled out of the ground and jammed through his own chest.

Naruto and the rest of his clones stared in shock as Sashikizu stood and removed the sword. The sword had no blood on it, and Sashikizu appeared to be unhurt.

The cloud ninja smiled. "My sword is surrounded by my chakra, so I am immune to it. Now it is my turn."

With the sword still in his hands, Sashikizu formed hand seals. "_Tsurugu no senpuu!"_ Sashikizu's body started rapidly spinning as he extended his arm with the sword, becoming a glowing, blurry funnel. Using the momentum from his rotation, he swiftly swept across the ground and bore into the rest of Naruto's clones, dissipating them nearly simultaneously. Naruto himself barely had enough time to jump clear. He landed several feet away and grimaced in pain as he clutched the cut on his shoulder.

_How did he hit me? I was still at least a couple of feet away from his sword._

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A few yards away, Sai and Sakura stood warily, facing the third Cloud shinobi, Shiga Hangeki. Unlike the other two, this ninja remained silent, waiting for the duo's first attack.

"Alright Sai, we need a plan." Sakura told her teammate.

Sai's brow furrowed in thought. Then his eyes lit up. "I've got it. Leave it to me, Ugly Dog."

Sakura's glare shot daggers at Sai. "If you call me that one more time, I swear I'll…" But Sai had already started moving toward his target. As he was running, Sai reached behind him and produced a kunai, which he flung at the cloud ninja. Komatsu easily evaded the knife, but something was trailing it that stretched all the way back to Sai's satchel. Komatsu stared in confusion. _What the…?_

Several drawings emerged from the open scroll attached to the kunai and held by Sai at the other end. Catching Hangeki out of position, large ink-black birds converged on the ninja, their claws outstretched. Hangeki's hands flickered, and he was enveloped by a dark grey cloud. As the drawings entered the cloud, there were several flashes of light, and ink splattered on the ground. Hangeki emerged, his hands still forming the boar seal. His arms shot forward, and the cloud lunged toward Sai. Sai moved to dodge it, but the cloud matched his movements and overtook him. A large bolt struck his body from inside the cloud and Sai dropped to the ground.

"Sai!" Sakura shrieked.

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Kakashi sniffed the air, trying to detect Dorobou's scent. _He couldn't have gone far, _Kakashi thought. _The Dorobou who took my weapons bag was real. He must have created a clone right before he charged at me. _Out of the corner of his eye, Kakashi saw a flash of movement, and he quickly dodged a kunai that went whizzing past him.

"Another mistake," a voice said.

A wire tightened itself around Kakashi's ankles. The Jounin lost his balance and fell to the ground, only to be met by Dorobou descending from above. His knee plunged into the small of Kakashi's back, but the weight under him suddenly gave way, and Dorobou was touching nothing but the ground.

_So this one likes to use clones too, _Dorobou thought. He quickly surveyed the area, failing to hear "**_Doton: shinju zanshu no jutsu_!" from the ground. A hand broke through the dirt and grabbed Dorobou's ankle. Kakashi built up his chakra to complete the technique, but a sharp pain hit the hand that had emerged from the ground, and Dorobou's ankle disappeared from his grasp. Kakashi used his other hand to break out of the ground, barely having enough time to block Dorobou's incoming punch. Kakashi jumped back, eyeing Dorobou in surprise as he attempted to dislodge the shuriken from his bloodied right hand.**

**Dorobou grinned broadly. "Unfortunately for you, your familiarity in Lightning Country has allowed me to collect data and research your techniques, then adapt the appropriate countermeasures. You are at a disadvantage, Kakashi-sama." **

**Kakashi continued to fix his gaze on the cloud shinobi. "Good for you. Then you must be quite familiar with what I'm going to do next."**

**He clutched his forehead protector and pulled it up, revealing his left eye.**

**Dorobou's grin faded.**

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**Sakura stared in horror at Sai's motionless body. Hangeki slowly approached, kunai drawn. He glared at Sakura coldly, but then looked back at Sai and widened his eyes. The former ANBU member's body had dissolved into a thick black ink. Hangeki refocused in time to raise his kunai and block the real Sai's attack from above. As his jo staff and Hangeki's knife connected, Sai yelled out "Now!" **

**Without hesitating, Sakura charged at Hangeki, her fist at the ready. Hangeki noticed her attack immediately, but did not notice Sai's jo staff had transformed into a black snake which had wrapped itself around Komatsu's body. "Game over, Cloud Guy," Sai said triumphantly. Struggling against his bindings, Hangeki looked on in terror as Sakura closed in.**

**Then one side of his mouth curved into a smile.**

**As Sakura swung her arm, Hangeki freed his hand and grabbed her fist. The kunoichi gasped. _How is he able to block it?_ **

**In her shock Sakura did not notice Hangeki had freed his other hand, which had started to glow. Hangeki shot his second hand out and connected with Sakura's chest. Sakura flew back several feet, rolling on the ground before slumping to a stop. **

**Looking back at Sakura in astonishment, Sai grunted in pain as Hangeki's knee connected with his stomach. He quickly backed away as Hangeki used his kunai to free himself from the rest of his bonds.**

**"What did you do to Sakura?" Sai asked, narrowing his eyes at the Cloud shinobi.**

**For the first time since the battle started, Hangeki spoke: "I have the ability to reverse the polarity of my chakra in order to absorb and repel an enemy's chakra in the same strength it was delivered. Your friend just received the blow she was about to give me."**

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**Sashikizu laughed when he saw Naruto's surprised look. "That's not a normal taijutsu technique. My sword also charges the air around it, causing damage to anything in the general vicinity. And that's not all…"**

**Instead of finishing his sentence, Sashikizu ran at Naruto, his sword drawn. Naruto grabbed a kunai from his satchel and raised his arm to block, but something was wrong. _My arm won't move! What's going on!? _Naruto labored against his incompliant limb as Tokushima drew closer, a lethal glint in his eye. Finally he took his other arm and moved his dead arm into position just as Sashikizu's sword connected with the knife. The cloud shinobi laughed again. "Having some trouble? The charged air also disrupts nerve connections causing temporary paralysis."**

**Naruto glared at his opponent as Sashikizu's sword slowly bore down on his kunai. _I don't have enough strength to hold him off! I need to get out of this…_**

**Sashikizu brought his foot up and smashed it against Naruto's chest, sending the Genin sprawling. He then raised his sword into the air and brought it down with a swift _thunk._**

**_What? Bodies don't make a thunk sound…_**

**Sashikizu suddenly found his sword embedded in a log. **

**"Ha! I only need one arm to beat you!" Sashikizu heard a voice behind him. The cloud shinobi turned and saw two Narutos charging at him, holding between their hands a glowing ball of swirling chakra.**

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**"Well, this is surely a great honor." Dorobou regained his composure and regarded Kakashi wryly. "I hear only a privileged few get to see the Sharingan."**

**"'Privileged' isn't exactly the word I would use," Kakashi replied. "But, 'to each his own,' I suppose."**

**Dorobou's quick-moving figure became hazy as he leapt into the air and threw more shuriken at Kakashi. Kakashi prepared to dodge, but instead jabbed his elbow past the back of his head. The clone which had been ready to grab him from behind keeled over, and Kakashi flipped the body over his shoulder to protect his front side. The shuriken dug into the clone, which promptly dissipated. _That clone was only created a second ago from a long range, _Kakashi said to himself. _This guy has very advanced control over the shadow clone technique. Naruto could learn a thing or two from him._**

**Kakashi quickly stepped back as another Dorobou clone burst through the ground, his fist shooting past Kakashi's chin. A second clone burst out of the ground underneath the position where Kakashi had moved, but the Jounin was no longer there. Swinging his leg in a roundhouse kick, Kakashi's foot connected with the second clone's back, sending him crashing into the first. Both clones dissipated.**

**_I see, _Kakashi thought. _He's reading and countering my movements by creating clones in strategic positions. If I can focus my Sharingan enough, I can predict the motion of the clones _and_ determine where he's controlling them from._**

**The clones attacked again. Kakashi blocked the first attacker from the left and then leapt back, dodging a flurry of kunai that had been unleashed in his position as a trap. Turning in the air, he delivered a flying kick to the clone who had matched his movement from behind. As he landed, he grabbed one of the kunai stuck in a tree and flung it above him, impaling a clone who was about to descend on him from above. Suddenly Kakashi's eyes sensed movement near the position of the first clone. _He's up there in the tree forming hand signals._ **

**Kakashi grabbed another kunai and turned, crouching and stabbing another clone in the stomach. As quickly as he had done this, Kakashi removed the kunai and turned again, flinging the kunai at Dorobou's exact position. **

**Just before his hand released the knife, his aim faltered. Dorobou, caught off-guard by the kunai that whizzed by his ear, tumbled out of the tree in a clumsy attempt to dodge it. Kakashi, seeing his opportunity, extended his arm. Chakra in the form of electricity manifested itself in his hand, and the Konoha Jounin charged at the Cloud shinobi.**

**"_Chido--"_**

**Just before he reached Dorobou, a heavy dizziness passed over Kakashi. His vision became hazy, and he lost his balance. _What is happening to me…?_**

**Kakashi fell to the ground, the chakra in his right hand fading. He could hear Dorobou's laughter pierce through his disoriented mind. "Feeling a bit under the weather are we? I suppose I'm lucky the poison kicked in when it did, or your kunai would have hit me."**

**Kakashi looked up at the blurry figure standing over him. _Poison?_**

**"Those weren't any ordinary clones you fought off," Dorobou continued. Each was created with a poison cloud I manifested with my chakra. You see, I did study your **

**Sharingan, and I also came up with this ingenious counter attack. So either the clones beat you up, or you die from the poison they give off when they dissipate."**

**His hands began forming seals. "_Taiju Dokukage Bunshin no jutsu!"_ A hundred clones appeared surrounding Kakashi, who was still kneeling on the ground, his head spinning.**

**Dorobou laughed again. "It's a lose-lose situation, Kakashi-sama. You won't survive for much longer."**

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**Sashikizu gazed for a moment in awe as Naruto advanced, the spiraling ball of chakra glowing his hand. _This guy has a lot of power for a Genin, _he thought. _I might have underestimated him. No matter, I'll finish him off now._**

**Sashikizu sheathed his sword and quickly formed hand signals. Naruto rapidly closed in, his attacking arm extended back. "It's too late for you now! _Rasengan!"_ The Konoha shinobi pushed the spiral toward Sashikizu's chest…**

**And his arm swept through empty air. Trying to slow his momentum, Naruto staggered and landed on his knees. _What the hell--_**

**A searing pain ignited in Naruto's stomach. He looked down in shock to see Sashikizu's sword sticking out of him, covered in his blood.**

**"The blade has come in contact with your spinal cord. You will be unable to move."**

**Sashikizu's voice sent a feeling of dread through Naruto. He tried to turn and face his opponent, but found that Sashikizu's words were true. Instead, he lost his balance and slumped to the ground. "How…how did you…"**

**"It's called the body flicker technique. It was used by your own Yondaime Hokage if I'm not mistaken. Tsk tsk, don't they teach you any history in those Konoha schools?"**

**Naruto managed to turn his head toward the cloud shinobi. He glared as the shinobi walked over to him and placed his foot on Naruto's shoulder.**

**"You fought well boy, but it will soon be over for you. I'll be sure to make your death quick."**

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**Sakura lay on the ground, attempting to catch her breath. Hangeki's attack had done more than wind her, however. When she tried to get up, a sharp pain denied her muscles any movement. _He must have broken several of my ribs and my collar bone, _she thought. She looked up and saw Sai still engaged in battle with Hangeki. _Hopefully Sai can hold him off long enough for reinforcements to arrive._ She wondered about how Kakashi was doing. His battle had separated him from the rest of the group as the Cloud shinobi he was fighting attempted to cut off Kakashi's ninja dog, Pakkun, whom Kakashi had sent back to Konoha to request backup. She then wondered about Naruto.**

**That was when she heard his yell.**

**Sakura dragged herself toward the sound, maneuvering her body painfully through a row of thick brush. She came to a clearing and saw him. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the sword sticking out of his back and a cloud shinobi was standing over him, laughing.**

**_I have to do something, _Sakura thought, Another shooting pain in her chest reminded her of her current state. _There's not enough time to heal myself using the normal technique…I have to use the second level, the one Tsunade-sama taught me last week, but it uses up all of my chakra…_**

**_It doesn't matter. Naruto will die if I don't._**

**Sakura formed the seals, and the chakra appeared in her hands, glowing a bright green. She put them over her chest. _This should only take a second. Hang in there Naruto._**

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**Sai crouched low to the ground, his jo staff in hand, as Hangeki's attack passed over his head. He brought up his staff and jammed it in Hangeki's ribcage. The shinobi grunted and staggered back. Sai capitalized on his opponent's momentary opening, delivering an elbow into the same spot the staff had connected. Hangeki doubled over and fell to his knees. Sai brought up his staff to strike a finishing blow on Hangeki's head, but the cloud shinobi recovered and shot the heel of his hand upward, hitting Sai in his forehead protector. Sai suddenly found himself hurtling through the air, his back slamming against a tree. He looked up and saw Hangeki's extended hand, glowing the same way it had when he hit Sakura. _His polarity technique must work with metals as well, _Sai thought.**

**Sai turned to check on Sakura's condition, and was surprised to find that she wasn't in the spot where she had landed. It was then he heard a yell.**

**"Naruto!" Sai called. It sounded as though his teammate was in grave danger. _I have to find a way to get to him._ **

**He heard Hangeki's voice behind him. "_kumoton: ranmyaku no arare!" _Instantly, the sky became dark above Sai. He looked up and a hailstone the size of a baseball crashed into his skull. Sai stumbled, and another hailstone caught him in the shoulder, sending him to the ground. Sai dove for a small nearby outcropping in a hollowed tree, taking several more hailstones in his back. _These aren't ordinary hailstones_ he thought. _They're almost as hard as steel. _Reaching the outcropping, he looked out and saw Hangeki's figure on the other side of the shadow cast by the dark clouds, his hands still forming a seal.**

**Sai winced in pain as he shifted his position. _Those reinforcements better come soon. I don't know how much longer I can hold out._**

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**The clones advanced on Kakashi, who managed to get to his feet, his vision still blurred. With the help of the Sharingan, Kakashi dodged their movements, but the poison was moving through his system, slowing his reflexes. He caught a clone's kick to the chin and fell back, barely able to duck as another clone's fist sailed over his head. _I can't keep up with this, _he thought. _The poison will continue its course through my system _and _my chakra will eventually run out._**

**_It's now or never._**

**Kakashi jumped clear of the crowd of clones, buying himself enough time to form hand seals. Dorobou and his clones eyed Kakashi intently. _What is happening with his eye? It's changing…_**

**"_Oh shi--"_**

**"_Mangekyou Sharingan!"_**

**Kakashi bored his gaze into the crowd of clones with his pin-wheel eye. Suddenly, a violent wind swept through and surrounded Dorobou and his clones, and a black swirling mass opened up above them. As the mass extended and enveloped them, the clones were hurtled into the abyss, which then began to shrink and eventually disappeared into nothingness. **

**Kakashi collapsed onto the ground, sweat dripping from his temples. He looked over at the real Dorobou, who had managed to free himself at the last instant, but was also collapsed on the ground, panting fiercely.**

**"I'm guessing that technique didn't turn up in your research." Kakashi said.**

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Pain exploded in Naruto's body as Sashikizu ripped the sword out of his stomach. "That wasn't lethal, but the next one will be." The cloud shinobi assured him. "I have to admit I was out of position in my haste to evade your attack." He raised his sword, whose blade glinted in the sunlight. "I told you it was the end of the line." He swept his blade toward the Konoha Genin…**

**But his arm was blocked by a gloved hand.**

**"Sakura-chan!"**

**Sakura stared down the surprised Sashikizu. "Don't touch him," she said fiercely. Naruto stared at her in amazement, but noticed something was wrong. Her breathing was heavy and irratic, and sweat trickled down her forehead. _Oh no…is she out of chakra?"_**

**"Sakura-chan, don't! He's too strong, he'll--"**

**"Shut up, Naruto!" She cut him off. "I can't let you have all the fun. This guy's mine."**

**A kunai appeared in her hand and she lunged at Sashikizu, who jumped back. "Well well," He regarded Sakura with curiosity. "Come to try your hand at defeating me? You really don't look too well. Maybe you should have gotten your other dark-haired friend to come fight me instead, or that masked freak."**

**Sakura reached into her satchel and pulled out three shuriken. Strafing to the right, she threw them at his midsection. Sashikizu easily blocked them with his sword and turned toward Sakura, but she had already reached him. Sweeping out her leg She knocked Sashikizu's legs out from under him and he fell to the ground. In an instant, Sakura was on her feet, kunai in hand. She lunged at Sashikizu's throat, but his sword was there to block her attack. **

**Suddenly the kunai she was holding sent sharp pains into her hand, causing her fingers to lock around its handle. She staggered back, clutching her wrist. Sashikizu was on his feet, ready to strike with his sword.**

**Sakura moved to evade, but it was too late. Sashikizu's sword sliced through her left shoulder. She cried out in pain, falling to the ground.**

**"_Sakura-chan! You bastard, I'll kill you!"_**

**Sashikizu turned to Naruto. "You are in no position to make threats, boy," he scoffed. "The girl will get what's coming to her, and so will you."**

**Naruto struggled to get to his feet, but the paralysis overpowered him. _I need to get up! I need more power! I need…"_**

**Naruto retreated deeper into his mind, and found himself standing in a room with a large cage, a place he at one point never wanted to see again.**

**"Come out, damn fox! I need your chakra!"**

**A pair of enormous, red eyes and razor-sharp teeth emerged from the darkness behind the cage. The Nine-Tailed fox glared at Naruto, his eyes reflecting daggers of fire.**

**"What's this? You dare come back after you completely rejected my gift to you? Your childishness and cowardice appalls me. Why should I lend you anything now that you've stated you don't need me?"**

**Naruto's memory jumped back to the time he had found Sasuke in Orochimaru's lair. He had refused to use the Kyuubi's chakra then, saying he preferred to rely on his own power. He'd never thought he'd be so forcefully regretting those words.**

**"Please," Naruto pleaded. "Please just this once, lend me something…anything…"**

**The fox boomed with laughter. "So we're back to pleading now, are we? Just look at yourself. Not even able to use your own so-called power. You do realize the only reason you're alive is because of me? Without me, you are nothing. Since you seem to have forgotten that fact, I'm not going to give you anything. Perhaps you'll come to your senses after you've experienced the pain of loss."**

**"No! Please, I--"**

**"Get out of my sight, kid. You disgust me."**

**Naruto continued yelling, pleading, cursing at the caged fox, but the eyes and teeth slowly faded back into the darkness.**

**Emerging from his mind, Naruto stared in desperation at Sakura, still on the ground, and Tokushima, looming over her, sword in hand.**

**Sashikizu formed hand seals and raised his sword. The sword crackled with electricity as he drew back the blade, and plunged it into Sakura's back. It emerged out of her chest as blood splattered on the ground. Her eyes widened in terror, then her pupils rolled back into her head as she slumped onto the dirt, unmoving.**

**"NNNNOOOOO!! SAKURA-CHAAAAN!!"**

**Naruto screamed as he channeled all his energy into moving his sagging limbs, but try as he might, he couldn't move. Finally, his stamina gave out, and he crumpled to the ground in a fetal position, breathing and perspiring heavily. Tokushima approached him, the sword still glowing with electricity and red with Sakura's blood.**

**_Is this…Is this how it's going to end? Paralyzed and on my knees, with the one person I care about the most dead and gone? No, it can't. I still have to…_ **

**Sashikizu raised the blade above Naruto's head. **

**"Time's up, boy." He said.**

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Dorobou rose to his feet, picking up a kunai. "You'll…pay…for that, Kakashi-sama," he hissed.**

**Kakashi, dazed from the poison and lack of chakra, lay helpless and could only watch as Dorobou staggered over to him. The cloud shinobi raised his knife...**

**And was knocked back by a large growling mass of white fur.**

**Akamaru landed on the surprised shinobi, who was smashed face first into the dirt. The great dog dug his claws into Dorobou's back, barred his teeth and barked loudly.**

**"Nice! Great work, Akamaru!"**

**Inuzuka Kiba emerged on the scene and ran over to the incapacitated Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, are you all right?"**

**Kakashi slowly sat up and rubbed his head. "Yeah, I'll be fine." He smiled at Kiba through his mask. "Your timing couldn't be better." **

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Sai watched as Hangeki approached his position, his right hand still glowing with chakra. _Where did this guy get all this power? I've never seen anyone with these types of techniques._ By saving himself from the falling hailstones, Sai had also seemingly sealed his fate, cornering himself within the small outcropping.**

**Hangeki loomed over the tree trunk and raised his fist, ready to strike. However his ears perked up and he held his hand up in hesitation. Sai could hear it too. A faint buzzing sound was gradually growing louder and louder.**

**The cloud shinobi let out a surprised yell. The chakra-fist he had elevated to attack Sai was now covered in a mass of insects. The buzzing sound reached thunderous proportions as bugs swarmed out of nearby trees, covering Kometsu's body. Hangeki continued to shriek, trying desperately to clear the bugs off his body.**

**A hooded figure dropped down from above the outcropping and turned to face Sai. Sai instantly recognized the dark glasses and high collared jacket.**

**"Nice of you to show up, bug-man." He said.**

**The Konoha chuunin sighed. "I'd prefer it if you'd just call me Shino." **

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**"_Jyuken!"_**

**The explosion knocked Sashikizu off his feet. He lost his grip on his sword and flew back, crashing into nearby bushes. Hyuuga Hinata ran over to Naruto, blushing fiercely.**

**"Naruto-kun! Are you okay? Are you hurt?"**

**Naruto stared in disbelief at Hinata. He tried to speak, but the words were difficult.**

**"Sakura-chan…check…Sakura-chan…"**

**Hinata rushed over to were Sakura's motionless body lay. "_Byaukugan!" _she looked at Sakura intently, then gasped, putting her hands over her mouth.**

**"Naruto-kun, I'm sorry, but…I can't detect any chakra flow. I'm afraid she's--"**

**"No!" Naruto yelled. "Don't say it! She's not…" The pain was too much for him. He lowered his head into his hands, tears forming in his eyes**

**Hinata, overcome by the sight of Naruto crying, started crying as well. She could do nothing except kneel down and put her arm around him.**

**Kiba, Kakashi, Sai and Shino eventually made their way over to Naruto, Hinata and Sakura. ANBU members had accompanied Team 8, and proceeded to detain the cloud shinobi. When the rest of Teams 7 and 8 heard of Sakura's death they stood in silence, surrounding the trio. **

**The forest that had once been immersed in the sounds of battle was now quiet, and the only sound that could be heard was the convulsive sobs of one Uzumaki Naruto.**

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**List of original japanese terms and phrases (anything that doesn't show up in Naruto anime or manga):**

**Tsurugu no senpuu—"whirlwind of the sword"**

**Taiju dokukage bunshin no jutsu—"mass poison shadow clone technique"**

**Kumoton: ranmyaku no arare—"cloud release: hail of chaos"**


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I apologize if there was any confusion on the names of characters in chapter 2. I decided to change some of them after I had finished writing and I missed some of the originals. In case anyone is still confused, Miyazaki is Dorobou, Tokushima is Sashikizu, and Kometsu is Hangeki.

Also, the "Two Days Later" at the beginning of this chapter means two days after the end of chapter 2.

And now, chapter 3...

* * *

Chapter 3

--TWO DAYS LATER--

It rained on the day of the funeral. Not a harsh, stormy rain but a cold, steady rain unaccompanied by wind or lightning. Despite the wet conditions, the service proceeded as planned. Villagers from all over Konoha came to pay their respects to a girl who, like her namesake, was taken away early in her life. Team Gai, team 8 and team 10 were there. Even the Kazekage and his siblings came from Suna when they heard the news. After a few words from the Godaime Hokage, a procession of black passed through, laying cherry blossoms on her coffin.

A tearful Ino laid down a bouquet of daffodils and forced a smile as she approached Sakura's body. "We were always competitors, but I didn't want it to end like this, Sakura," she sobbed. "You were always pushing me to be better than I am. I'll miss you." Chouji put his arm on her shoulder to comfort her as the two teammates walked away, Ino trying in vain to dry her eyes.

The procession continued into the evening, as most of the villagers eventually made their way home. Some who knew her better stayed longer, but soon the cemetery was empty. As the sun made its way behind the trees and below the horizon, a lone figure approached the coffin. The skin around his blue eyes was a deep red, as he had been crying for most of the day. He had attended her funeral of course, but had stayed in the back, not wanting to join the procession. He needed some time with her alone.

He knelt beside the coffin and laid his hand on the lid. The only sound around him was the soft rain that fell on the surrounding leaves and gravestones. After a silence which seemed to transcend time, Naruto spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Damn it…damn it Sakura-chan, why? You told me…you told me we would save him together. I can't…I can't do it without you, Sakura-chan. If I had just listened to that damn fox, you'd still be here, and…" his voice trailed off as he was unable to bring himself to ponder all the things that might have been, all the things he still wanted to tell her while she was still alive. He was struck with a sudden urge to laugh. "Look at me…you're dead and I still can't talk to you without stuttering. Man, I'd give anything just to hear you call me an idiot again and punch me, just like you always did." He smiled that old smile he used to give Sakura every time he saw her, but it soon faded. "I am so sorry, Sakura-chan. I wasn't there when you needed me most. I couldn't do anything to stop that guy. The kyuubi was right. What am I without him? Just a weak, powerless, sorry excuse for a shinobi." Naruto slumped down onto the muddy ground, his head resting in his hands. Unable and unwilling to get up, he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Shikamaru, where are we going?" 

"Do I have to tell you everything? Geez, you can be so troublesome sometimes."

It was morning and the clouds had cleared overnight, allowing the sun to reflect brightly off the puddles in the streets. Nara Shikamaru and Temari, a jounin from Suna, had just left from a meeting discussing plans for the next chuunin exam when Shikamaru suggested they take a detour. He led her down a gravel path into a familiar park area.

Temari looked around and regarded Shikamaru questioningly. "What are we doing back here?"

Shikamaru ignored her and looked ahead past the low-hanging trees. "There he is. Iruka-sensei was right. He stayed out here all night."

Temari followed Shikamaru's gaze and let out a small gasp. Huddled into his coat and lying next to Sakura's coffin was the normally hyperactive blonde genin Naruto, soaking wet and fast asleep.

Shikamaru approached him and bent down to touch his shoulder. "Naruto…hey Naruto," getting no response, the chuunin grabbed Naruto's shoulders and shook him. "Hey idiot, wake up!"

Naruto opened his eyes groggily and looked up. "Huh? Wha…?"

"What are you doing out here? You look terrible. You've probably caught pneumonia or something."

Naruto squinted in the sunlight, groaning softly as he clutched his forehead. "What of it? This is where I have to be. I have nowhere else to go."

Shikamaru stood in silence and studied his friend. _I know how you feel Naruto, but you can't let this defeat you. Asuma-sensei's death almost put me over the edge, but luckily I had people there to keep me from falling._

"C'mon Naruto, let's go to Ichiraku. I'll buy you some ramen."

Naruto didn't look up. "Thanks, but I'm not hungry."

"Idiot. First you almost catch a cold now you want to starve yourself? Just get up. Don't make me use shadow copy on you."

After briefly hesitating, Naruto slowly stood to his feet and followed Shikamaru and Temari back into town.

_I'll have to inform Hokage-sama about this. It's for his own good, _Shikamaru thought.

"…Really? I was afraid something like this would happen."

Tsunade folded her hands on her desk, her brow furrowed in thought. After a brief silence, she refocused and spoke to Shikamaru.

"Gather the rest of your team, Team Kurenai, and Team Gai and have them meet me here in my office."

Shikamaru nodded and left to fulfill the request. A few minutes later the nine shinobi stood in the Hokage's office. Tsunade stood and addressed them.

"As you are well aware, every shinobi in Konoha has an obligation toward their comrades to cooperate with them and come to their aid whenever necessary. Right now, there is one who requires such aid. Uzumaki Naruto is taking Sakura's death pretty hard. Just this morning, Shikamaru here found that Naruto had stayed at Sakura's coffin overnight, and he has implied that he plans to do so again. However ANBU has requested to perform an autopsy on Sakura's body in order to further the investigation of the three cloud shinobi who were involved in her death. What I want you nine to do is spend some time with him. Take him to lunch, train with him, talk with him about Sakura, whatever, just keep him away from the cemetery. We don't want him making a scene when he finds out the body isn't there. I'll have you split into two-person teams and take day-long shifts, so as not to interfere with other missions. Shikamaru, I'll have you and Temari finish up today as the first shift."

Shikamaru nodded. "I've also talked with the Kazekage and Kankuro, and they've agreed to help as well," he informed Tsunade.

"Excellent. After each of your shifts, report your progress to me. Dismissed!"

* * *

The next day was Hyuuga Neji and Rock Lee's shift. As the two teammates and Naruto were walking to the outskirts of town to train, Neji noticed Naruto looking particularly pleased with himself. "What's with you?" he asked.

Naruto smirked as he pulled two bottles out of his satchel. "I swiped these from Granny Tsunade's secret stash."

"Naruto, you moron, that's sake!" Neji protested. "You're too young for that!"

But Naruto had already popped open one of the bottles and tossed the other one to Lee. "Hey, Fuzzy-Brows! Chugging contest!"

Neji's eyes widened. "Lee," he cautioned his teammate slowly, "don't do it…you know how you get when you drink."

Lee looked down at the bottle in his hands, then at Naruto, then back at Neji. "I am sorry, Neji-san. I have been challenged, and I will not lose!"

"Lee, wait!"

But the green-clad shinobi had already uncorked his bottle and started downing the beverage as Naruto followed suit. Lee finished his first and threw down the bottle. "Yes! I have won! I am…the…"

Lee's voice trailed off as his eyelids drooped and his cheeks glowed a deep red. He staggered and turned to Neji, frowning at him with a glazed-over expression. "Wha…Whazzat? Whaju say bout me, eh?"

Neji slowly backed away. _Oh no, _he thought. "uhh…nothing! I was just telling Naruto what a great ninja you are."

Lee was silent, as he pondered those words. He turned to Naruto. "Hey, izzat wudee said t'you?

Naruto, having just finished his bottle, looked up, and to Neji's horror had the exact same expression on his face as Lee. "What, you didn' hear 'im? 'S not my fault you can't hear over yer giant eyebrows."

Neji raised an eyebrow of his own. _That made no sense._

"Hey punk!" Lee yelled at Naruto as he raised his fists and swayed in the classic drunken boxing stance. "You wanna piece uh me, eh?"

"Bring it on, Buzzy-Frows!" Naruto slurred as he clumsily formed a hand seal. _"Kage bun…_uh…_kage bushin no justu!"_

Neji watched as ten drunken Narutos appeared and ran awkwardly toward Lee. Half of them tripped over each other and fell before they reached their target, while the other half were easily wiped out by Lee's fast-moving yet bungling attacks. As this process repeated itself several times, Neji relaxed and sat under a tree, continuing to observe the fight.

_Well, I suppose this isn't too bad. They were going to train anyway. _Neji said to himself. _They'll eventually tire themselves out. Heh…the Drunken Fist and the Drunken Klutz. This is actually kind of entertaining._

The two shinobi fought for hours, until both succumbed to fatigue and fell to the ground. Lee crawled to a tree and sat underneath its shade. Naruto soon followed and sat next to him, the previous animosity between them seemingly vanished.

"Hey…you ok, Buzzy-Frows?" Naruto asked lazily.

Lee grinned widely. "Oh yeah, I'm awesome! If this's the reglur ok level…"—he put his hand up to his chest—"then I'm up here!" He raised his hand above his head and gave the "nice-guy pose" with the other hand.

Naruto giggled between hiccups. "Man, you almos' hit 's hard 's Chakra-san. When she'd hit me it'd be like 'boom' and I'd be like 'whoa that hurt' n' she'd be like, 'wul, yeah, it wus s'posed to.' I wish Chakra-san wus here. We wur buddies, her n' me."

Lee put his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Hey…_you_'ur _my_ buddy. I love you man."

"Really? Wul, I love you too." Naruto answered, belching loudly.

It was nearly evening, and with a sigh, Neji began dragging the two inebriated shinobi back to their respective homes, refusing to join them in singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" despite their insistence. After dropping off Lee first and then Naruto, who by that time was fast asleep and snoring, Neji headed back to the Hyuuga manor.

_This will make for an interesting report in the morning, _he thought.

* * *

"…You did _what?!_"

Neji and a hung-over Lee and stood in the Hokage's office, cringing slightly as  
Tsunade stood up out of her chair. It was the morning after their shift, and they were delivering their report upon the Hokage's request. Also present was Iruka, who had been invited by the Godaime to give his input concerning Naruto.

Neji cleared his throat and continued calmly after being interrupted. "Naruto had two bottles of sake with him, claiming they were from your 'secret stash.' He and Lee proceeded to consume the sake and then trained for the rest of the day. Overall, I would say the mission was a success. Naruto was nowhere near the cemetery for the entire day, and he appeared to be bonding quite nicely with Lee over Sakura."

Tsunade opened her mouth to object, but couldn't think of anything to say. She instead sat back down; still visibly irked about what Neji could only guess was the divulgence of her once-secret sake cache.

Iruka broke the silence and spoke up. "Based on this report and the report I heard from Shikamaru yesterday, it would seem Naruto has returned to the mischievous personality he had before he became a genin. However, instead of looking for acknowledgement like he was three years ago, Naruto is looking for familiarity. A very familiar aspect of his life has been lost, and now he's clinging to what familiarity he still has left, even to the point of relapsing into old habits."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Tsunade asked.

Iruka shrugged. "I don't think there's much we _can _do. This is a grieving process for Naruto, and we'll just have to let it run its course. If it's anything I know about him, it's that he's resilient. There's very little that can keep Uzumaki Naruto down," he added with a smile.

* * *

Naruto lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. It was 10:00 am. Normally he would have been up hours ago, had breakfast, and then gone out to train. He had taken things for granted then. Sure, there were times when he would curse his alarm clock and roll over to catch a five minute snooze, but soon after his body would automatically rise from bed, and he would start his daily routine. Now, his body lay still, as if an overwhelming weight was not only keeping him from moving, but taking away his desire to do so as well. His mind was adrift, but in every thought, every memory, he would see her bright green eyes and the smile that seemed to give him strength beyond anything the kyuubi could ever give him, and the weight would increase to the point of crushing him.

_What's the point…? What's the point in getting up? I could continue to train every moment of every day, and maybe get better, be able to fix my weaknesses, but no matter what I do, she'll still be gone. It's not like with Sasuke. There's nothing I can do to bring her back…_

_Wait…bring her back…_

A memory floated into his mind, a day two and a half years ago where he, Jiraya and Shizune were rushing to save Tsunade from Orochimaru. Shizune had told Naruto about the offer Orochimaru made with Tsunade the previous week. "Her answer has to be no!" he had said of Tsunade's decision. _What _was_ that offer he had made? If Tsunade would heal his arms, then…_

…_that's it…_

Naruto was jarred from his thoughts by a loud knock on his door. Groaning, he slowly slid out of bed, not because he wanted to, but because the knocking would just continue if he didn't respond.

Opening his door, he was met by Suna's Kazekage, Gaara of the Sand, and his brother, the puppet master Kankuro.

"Hey, did you just get out of bed?" The latter snorted upon seeing Naruto's disheveled appearance. "C'mon you lazy bum! Get dressed and get out here, we're your babysitters today."

Gaara elbowed his brother in the ribs. "Lay off of him. He's had a rough couple of days." He turned to Naruto. "The Hokage has recommended you take time to—er—'relax and unwind,' so I have booked a hot springs for the afternoon."

Kankuro snickered. "More like commandeered it. You should have seen the owner's face when he realized he was talking to the Kazekage. He had to cancel a lot of--"

One look from Gaara and Kankuro fell silent.

Naruto yawned. "Alright, I'll be ready in a few minutes."

The three arrived at the resort, and Naruto saw that the Kazekage had been telling the truth. They appeared to be the only ones there. The owner greeted them nervously at the front desk and was extremely polite as he led them to the changing rooms. Naruto chuckled to himself. _No doubt Gaara has made a name for himself even beyond Wind Country._

Having stored their belongings in the changing rooms, Naruto and the sand-nins slid into the water, sighing contently as their muscles relaxed. "You have changed, Uzumaki," Gaara spoke up.

Naruto looked up in surprise. It was quite unusual for the Kazekage to be the one to initiate conversation. "How so?"

"You no longer have the desire to prove your existence."

_Quite perceptive for a guy who doesn't say more than a few sentences per day. _"What makes you say that?"

Gaara continued to eye his friend intently. "Your eyes do not bear the resemblance to mine that they once did."

Naruto shrugged and rested his head on his hands. "Well, maybe I've come to the realization that existence is short. Why try to prove something that ends so quickly?"

The Kazekage sat in silence a few moments before answering. "You taught me that proving one's existence means extending past one's own desires. You say existence is short, but how then can it spread itself out so widely, encompassing so many others?"

The blonde Genin broke his eye contact from Gaara. "So many…except one," he mumbled bitterly. He turned his head, signifying his was done with the conversation.

Despite this, Naruto's spirits seemed to lift during his stay at the hot springs. When the trio left late that afternoon, his face was significantly brighter, but Gaara couldn't help but notice something. _What is that glint in his eye? It looks almost…evil._

"Hey, you know what you need?" Kankuro walked up beside Naruto and draped his arm over his shoulder. "You need a girlfriend. That should cheer you up." He turned to his brother. "Hey, Gaara, we should try hooking him up with Temari, what do you think?"

"That could be…troublesome," The Kazekage replied.

Naruto raised an eyebrow after hearing a certain lazy ninja's favorite word. _Did Gaara just make a joke?_

Kankuro didn't seem to notice. "Yeah, you're right. We need to whip him into shape first! Make him dating material!" He tightened his grip around Naruto's neck. Naruto forced a weak smile, but seemed to be glaring at the puppet master behind it.

"I don't see how you would be able to help, being as you have never--" Gaara's voice cut off as he stopped walking and shifted his gaze suspiciously.

Kankuro stopped too. He shot a look at his brother and confirmed nonverbally what Gaara was thinking. _Someone is following us._

Suddenly a figure materialized in front of them. Kankuro's eyes widened as he instantly recognized the long black cloak spotted with a red cloud design and the long blonde hair covering one of the figure's eyes.

"Akatsuki! Gaara, get behind me!"

The Sand Jounin reached behind him and pulled a strand of thin white cloth that was wrapped around the object he carried on his back. The cloth fell, revealing a hideous looking marionette. Flexing his fingers, Kankuro activated chakra-strings and swung Karasu into attack position in front of him.

"Kankuro!" He heard his brother's voice behind him.

"Just stay back, Gaara! This one's mine, and I'm more expendable than you!"

Kankuro extended his arm and Karasu lunged at the shinobi. "You'll regret ever setting foot in Suna, you bastard!" He growled menacingly. He flicked a finger, and Karasu's mouth opened, revealing a large, lethally sharp knife.

Or so the puppet master expected. Instead, Karasu vomited a flurry of small bits of multi-colored paper, which fluttered in the air and landed harmlessly at the Akatsuki member's feet.

Even the kabuki paint on Kankuro's face seemed to go white. Miraculously, he recovered from his shock enough to move another finger. Karasu's left elbow opened, unleashing more of the colored paper onto the ground.

_What the hell…?!_

The horrified Jounin frantically continued to shift his fingers, opening many other hidden cavities on his favorite puppet. All produced the same result as the first two.

"WHERE THE HELL DID ALL THIS CONFETTI COME FROM?!" Kankuro shrieked in a tone at least an octave above his normal voice. Sweating and trembling, it took him a few seconds to notice the laughter behind him.

He turned and saw Naruto rolling on the ground, face red and tears rolling down his cheek. Looking for some sign of sanity in his surroundings, he turned to the Kazekage, only to see his head bowed and a hand over his mouth, partially covering a smile.

_Is he…is he laughing too?_

He turned back to his opponent in time to see the robed shinobi dissipate, replaced by another laughing Naruto.

Gaara seemed to have regained himself. "That's what I was trying to tell you, Kankuro. That Akatsuki member was a clone of Naruto in a _Henge no Jutsu_."

The Konoha genin stood up slowly, holding his sides. "You should… have seen…the look…on your face!" He sputtered, having lost his breath from his previous outburst.

Kankuro stood agape, trying to process all that had happened. When it finally dawned on him, He glowered at Naruto acidly. "What did you do to Karasu?"

Naruto grinned. "While we were at the hot springs, I had a clone remove all his weapons and fill him with confetti! Here, they're all right here!" He emptied his backpack, revealing numerous shiny, sharp objects, and broke out into another fit of laughter.

Kankuro brought his hands together, forming a space slightly smaller than Naruto's neck. "I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" He bellowed as he charged at him.

Reaching for the blonde perpetrator, Kankuro's arm was caught by an arm of sand. "I believe that would be against the Hokage's wishes," Gaara reminded his brother calmly.

After continuing to glare at Naruto for another full minute and muttering under his breath, Kankuro regained his composure, slowly lowering his arms to collect his weapons. The three continued their walk back into town, Naruto making sure to keep Gaara between him and the seething Jounin.

* * *

"Hokage-sama, please stop laughing!"

Kankuro was finding it difficult to remain polite as Tsunade continued chuckling. He and the Kazekage had arrived to give their report, and had relayed the story of the revived prankster's exploits to the Hokage and Iruka.

Tsunade put a hand over her stomach and took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm sorry Kankuro. Please continue."

After the two Sand shinobi finished their report and departed, the Hokage leaned back in her chair, resting her chin in her hand thoughtfully.

"This is starting to become a problem. Naruto appears to have increased his mischievous tendencies, but he crossed a line in doing so. It is against the law for a ninja to impersonate an Akatsuki member within the city limits of Konoha. We certainly can't have him doing anything like that again."

She turned to Iruka. "Go ahead and summon Naruto. It's time that I talked with him."

Iruka stepped out and returned five minutes later with a visibly drowsy Naruto. Tsunade frowned when she saw him. _It's nearly noon and it looks like he's just got up. He's taking this harder than I thought._

Iruka turned to leave but Tsunade stopped him. "No, Iruka, I think you should stay for this." She offered Naruto the chair in front of her desk. "Sit down, Naruto."

Naruto breathed an annoyed sigh as he slumped down into his seat. "What's this about, Obaa-Chan? I've got other things to do, y'know."

Tsunade ignored his flippant tone, as well as his obvious lie about having other things to do. "It's come to my attention that you used a _Henge no Jutsu_ to transform into a member of Akatsuki yesterday."

Naruto shrugged. "Yeah, so?"

"Well, Naruto, that is against the law. Up until this point I have been patient with all your other 'activities' but now--"

"Hold on!" Naruto cut in. "So this is what this whole 'team up and be nice to Naruto' thing is all about? You've been recruiting people to spy on me?"

Iruka widened his eyes. It was normal for Naruto to talk rudely to the Hokage, but to blatantly interrupt her and follow it with an accusation was unacceptable. He opened his mouth to inform Naruto of this, but stopped when Tsunade held up her hand.

"What I and your friends have been doing is trying to help you through this difficult time. Sakura's death wasn't just hard on you, it's been hard on all of us." She leaned closer and folded her hands on her desk. "It's not right for you to blame yourself Naruto. There was nothing you could have done."

At these last words Naruto looked up at Tsunade and glared. The Hokage was taken aback by something she had never seen before in the blonde genin's eyes: complete coldness.

"Nothing I could have done," he repeated her words with anger. He stood up suddenly and walked toward the door. "I don't have time for this."

"Naruto!" Iruka yelled at his back. "The Hokage has not dismissed you yet!"

"Yeah, well I'm dismissing myself," He replied flatly.

"Naruto, if you leave now, then you will be monitored by ANBU to make sure you are kept in line," Tsunade said calmly, although Iruka could tell her patience was starting to wear thin.

Naruto turned at the door to glare at the Hokage. "Whatever. I don't care anymore about your little spy network. They can arrest me for all I care." With that, he disappeared from the doorway.

Iruka turned to look at Tsunade, expecting her to throw her desk out the window to release her pent-up frustration. Instead, the Hokage lowered her head sadly and sat in silence. After a minute, she spoke to Iruka. "Tell Shizune to make the necessary arrangements for an ANBU guard to shadow Naruto. I didn't want to have to do this, but we can't have him going around committing crimes."

* * *

The next day Naruto was woken up again by a knock on the door. He opened it to find Shikamaru leaning lazily against a wall.

"What're you doing here? I thought your turn at information gathering was over," Naruto said dryly.

"I'm not here for that, idiot," Shikamaru replied. "I'm getting tired of you being so troublesome, so I'm going to bother you until you're back to normal, got it?"

Surprised by the lazy ninja's bout of initiative, Naruto just nodded.

"Alright, come with me, we're going for a walk."

Shikamaru led Naruto down a familiar forest trail and the two emerged in a small meadow with a stone obelisk and three logs sticking out of the ground. _Team 7's training spot, _Naruto's eyes fell._ I used to come here all the time, but now…_ _now there are only two of us left. Why would Shikamaru bring me here?_

"Shikamaru, I'm really not in the mood for training right now," Naruto muttered out loud.

"Good," he replied. "Then you can take a better look at this monument."

The two shinobi stood at the stone with the names of the fallen engraved on the side. "It's gotten longer these past two and a half years, if you hadn't noticed it before," Shikamaru said quietly. "There's the latest addition…" He pointed to the bottom of the list, and Naruto saw it: "Sarutobi Asuma". Shikamaru reached into a pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He lit up and smoked for a few moments in silence before continuing. "Death is troublesome, Naruto, but unfortunately it's a part of life. You can only hope to take a little something from someone before they go, and maybe become a little stronger in the process, but it's pointless to live in the past."

Naruto made no reply and continued to stare at the monument in silence. _It might be pointless, but it's not something you can just let go. It should have been me that died that day, not her. A past where I lose her has no future. I never want to see _her_ name on this monument._

Later that afternoon when Naruto and Shikamaru were in town, they strolled past to a house that was in the middle of being remodeled. It was about dinnertime, so there were no workers around. Naruto noticed a few buckets of paint sitting atop some makeshift scaffolding. His mouth turned into a scheming smile.

"Hey, Shikamaru," Naruto nudged his friend. "What do you say we give Obaa-chan up there a makeover?" he pointed up to Hokage mountain, where the five faces looked out on the city.

Shikamaru sighed. _This guy…in one ear and out the other. _"No way, I'm not going to get busted for that. Besides, didn't you do that, like, three years ago?"

"Yeah, but the old hag's face wasn't up there yet! I don't want to leave her out." He jumped up on the scaffolding, grabbed the paint cans, and raced toward the mountain.

Shikamaru considered following, but thought better of it. _Oh well…Probably should just let the moron do whatever the hell he's gotta do. It'd be too troublesome to stop him, anyway._

Having reached the mountains, Naruto focused his chakra and jumped, landing sideways on the Godaime's nose. "There! Now how about some nice wrinkles to bring out your age…" He raised the paintbrush, but suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry, but you can't be defacing public property."

Naruto turned and looked into the mask of a rather large ANBU member. "Why don't I take this…" he grabbed the paintbrush and paint out of Naruto's hands before he could react, "…and you can get down from here and head on back to your apartment."

Naruto glared at the shinobi, then smiled sardonically. So you're the one they sent to keep tabs on me, eh? Well, good luck with that." He jumped off the mountain and walked back toward town. The ANBU followed suit and walked behind him.

It was nearly dark by the time they reached Naruto's apartment. As he opened the door, he turned to the ANBU guard. "So, are you just going to stay out here and stand guard by my door and make sure I don't leave and cause more problems?"

The shinobi remained silent. _Geez, it's so annoying talking to someone with a mask on. He's probably making faces at me under that thing, _Naruto thought.

"…Uh, okay, I'll take that as a no. Alright, well, have a good walk back to your apartment, or your cave, or wherever the hell you guys sleep."

Naruto walked into his apartment and closed the door behind him. The ANBU member turned and started down the street.

When he reached the corner he heard the blonde Genin let out a terrified yell.

The guard turned and ran back, bounding up the steps and bursting through the door. All the lights were still off, and there was no sign of movement in the house. The guard took a kunai from his belt and slowly walked further into the building.

He had just passed the kitchen when he heard the shuffling of feet coming from down the hall. He turned and strained his ear to determine the origin of the sound.

Unfortunately, he now had his back turned to the kitchen.

Bursting through a cupboard, Naruto jumped onto the unprepared guard, disarming him in the process. As the guard struggled to release himself, another Naruto emerged from underneath the sink and tackled him in the legs, knocking the guard to the ground. Several more Narutos appeared and held him down, as one approached holding a syringe.

"Nothing personal, ANBU guy, just business," he said as he jabbed the needle into the guard's neck.

The ANBU member continued to struggle against his restrainers, but to no avail. The blur of orange that surrounded him gradually faded to blackness.

* * *

Dorobou, Sashikizu, and Hangeki sat in a dimly lit cell. The walls around the cell were covered with a special seal that prevented them from molding any chakra and an ANBU guard stood watch right outside. The three cloud shinobi huddled together and talked in low voices, so that they wouldn't be heard.

"I told you we shouldn't have engaged the Konoha team so close to their country," Dorobou said sharply to Sashikizu. "If we had allowed them to at least come to a town in our country, then they wouldn't have had the opportunity to send for reinforcements."

"They would have expected that," Sashikizu replied. "If _you _hadn't failed in cutting off that little dog runner, the ambush would have been a success."

Dorobou snorted and waved him off. "Hey, guard!" he yelled to the ANBU member outside. "Go get us some water, we're dying of thirst in here! Do you always treat your prisoners this harshly? And I thought Konoha was supposed to be a benevolent hidden village."

The guard did not answer and continued staring straight ahead.

"Hey! Did you hear me?" Dorobou continued to taunt the guard, but the guard apparently did not hear him. Instead, he turned and walked out the door, only to be replaced by another guard.

"Heh, Konoha must really be hurting. Look how weakly-looking this new guy is," Dorobou snickered as the new guard took his place at the side of the door.

"Apparently, experienced ninja are in 'short' supply!" Sashikizu said loud enough for the whole room to hear. The other two cloud shinobi laughed.

This time, the guard turned to look at the prisoners. "Well, at least this one's not deaf," Sashikizu smirked as the guard walked slowly toward the cell. "Hey buddy, be a guy and get us some—OOF!"

The guard's hand had shot out, grabbed Sashikizu by the shirt, and yanked him forward, slamming the shinobi's head against the bars.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing!?" Dorobou shouted.

"Tell me where Orochimaru is," The guard said in a low voice.

"Orochimaru? Who's—AAUGH!" Sashikizu's head was slammed into the bars again.

"What kind of guard are you? You can't abuse us like this!" Dorobou shouted again, but the guard's grasp only tightened on Sashikizu's shirt.

"I don't know what you're talking about, anyway!" Sashikizu said. "I don't know any Orochimaru!"

"If you don't tell me what you know…" The guard lifted his mask, and Sashikizu's eyes widened at the blue eyes that glared back underneath. "…Then I'll kill you."

"You're bluffing. You wouldn't kill us. They'd lock you up too." Dorobou scoffed, but his voice was laced with uncertainty.

Naruto lifted a kunai and pressed its end against Sashikizu's throat. "Try me," he challenged.

Sashikizu started to sweat, despite the relatively low temperature of the room. "Alright, just…just shut up, Dorobou!" he sputtered. "Fine! Let me go, and I'll tell you! Tell me first though how you know that I know about Orochimaru."

Naruto released the cloud shinobi's shirt and returned the kunai to his pouch. "I've seen the jutsu you use with your sword before," He replied. That paralysis technique is one that Orochimaru's…student uses."

"Very perceptive. When I met Orochimaru, he noticed my lightning nature jutsu, and taught me that technique with the sword." Sashikizu replied. "He's hiding out in Sound village, in the main part of town, I think. He's got some sort of genjutsu masking the entrance, and a guard to top it off. It won't be easy getting there. I know the guards always hang out at a nearby pub, 'The Slicing Shuriken' I think it's called. That's all I know, I swear."

Naruto took a moment to process this, then shrugged apathetically. "I'll manage." He turned to leave, but Hangeki spoke. "What are your aims at finding Orochimaru, boy? He is a dangerous man, and won't take too kindly to intruders."

"Don't worry," Naruto replied. "We have a bit of history between us." He continued walking toward the door, but stopped again and turned. "I don't know what you guys were doing in Fire Country, and frankly I don't care right now. I'll have the authorities deal with you on that." He smiled faintly, remembering Ibiki's methods of persuasion. "But I will _never_ forgive you for what you did to Sakura-chan, and if we ever cross paths again, I will not hesitate, and you _will_ die." With that, he closed the door to the detention area, leaving the three shinobi silent behind him.

* * *

Tsunade sat in her office, yet another load of paperwork stacked on her desk. However, she couldn't help but feel hopeful this morning. _I didn't hear anything from ANBU about Naruto last night, so maybe he's starting to come to his senses. _

She looked up and saw Tenten and Ino walk through the door. The Hokage frowned. "What happened? I thought you two were going to see Naruto today."

"We were," Tenten replied, "but he's not home. We were wondering if someone else left with him earlier."

Tsunade shook her head. "No, there shouldn't have been anyone." Her brow furrowed in thought. She called Shizune into the room. "Shizune, go back to Naruto's apartment and check around for any evidence as to where he might have gone." Shizune nodded and left with the two kunoichi. "He's probably just hiding, and getting a big kick out of it." Tsunade muttered these last words to herself.

Shizune, Tenten, and Ino walked back into Naruto's apartment. "Ino, check his closet to see if he took any of his training gear with him," The assistant suggested. Ino went into Naruto's room while the other two searched the rest of his house. Suddenly they heard Ino scream. They rushed into the room and discovered an ANBU member lying on the floor, wearing nothing but an undershirt and pants. He was tied up and unconscious.

Shizune gasped. "This was the ANBU member I assigned to watch Naruto! Report back to the Hokage what has happened. Something bad might have happened to him."

* * *

Tsunade's day wasn't going so well anymore. "Has he regained consciousness yet?" She asked Ino and Tenten when they had returned and delivered the news.

Ino shook her head. "Shizune-san said he was injected with something. He might be out for at least a couple more hours. She's with him now at the hospital, trying to remove the toxin from his system."

Just then a medic-nin burst through the doors. "Hokage-sama!" he panted. "There's been a break-in at the mortuary! Haruno Sakura's body has been stolen!"

The Godaime's eyes widened. "What!?" she shouted. "How did this happen?"

"It must have happened last night after the mortuary closed," The medic-nin replied. "None of the break-in alarms were tripped. This could only have been done by a shinobi."

Tsunade stared in disbelief. _Naruto. It could have only been him. That's why he went to all the lengths of incapacitating the ANBU guard. But what the hell could he possibly be doing? Whatever it is, he's gone way too far._

She stood up and looked back at Ino and Tenten. "The two of you organize a search for Naruto. If we find him, he could possibly lead us to Sakura." She turned back to the medic-nin. "I'll have ANBU dispatched to investigate the break-in."

Ino, Tenten and the medic-nin left, leaving the Hokage to ponder the situation. _I never thought Naruto would be capable of something like this. This is the first death of someone that has been close to him, but he's lost people before._

Her mind drifted to the Uchiha boy that had once been a part of Team 7. _He's still so determined to get Sasuke back. They both were. But I felt that same kind of determination too, once…_

Their faces appeared before her again, Nawaki and Dan, two people who were precious to her, taken away from her much too early. She was at one point prepared to do anything just to be able to see them one more time. She remembered how it had changed her, even to the point of developing a fear of blood. _Then there was that time when Orochimaru…_

It hit her like a blow in the face, one harder than anything she had ever delivered herself.

_No…he wouldn't…_

In her mind she saw the snakelike Sannin's face turn into a grin. _"…I can revive your brother and the man you loved…"_

Tsunade shook her head, not wanting to believe it. _Naruto…he wouldn't do that…he wouldn't go to him…_

…_would he?_

--END FLASHBACK--


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Just a quick reminder, this chapter picks up where chapter 1 left off. The flashback scene I was doing in chapters 2 & 3 is done.**  
**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

"…Ku ku ku…Naruto-kun, just when I think you couldn't be any more foolish, you surprise me yet again."

Orochimaru, Naruto and Kabuto stood in the small room. Naruto's offer had come as a surprise to both the snake sannin and his assistant. The boy that stood before them had once boasted that he would eventually become Konoha's Hokage. Obviously he no longer had the best intentions for Konoha on his mind. In fact, only one person seemed to be on his mind at this point: The pink-haired girl whose body lay on the stone floor.

Naruto ignored Orochimaru's last statement. "So we have a deal?" he asked.

Orochimaru eyed the blonde suspiciously. "It must have taken a bit of willpower to come here and request this of me, being that I've put you through so much. Tell me, if I accept your offer, what makes you think I'll follow through with my side of the deal?"

Naruto smiled mirthlessly. "You're going to do your part first, and then I'll allow you to extract the kyuubi. Besides, who's to say I don't have exploding tags covering my body, ready to explode and destroy this entire structure if you decide to betray me?"

Orochimaru returned his smile. "I take back what I said about you earlier, Naruto-kun. You've become quite the strategist since our last encounter. You're probably bluffing, of course, but why risk calling it? I suppose death brings out the best in people, doesn't it? Very well, I agree to your proposal, under one more condition."

Naruto raised his eyebrows and waited for the sannin to continue.

"You give up your pursuit of Sasuke-kun. I'd think it an unreasonable undertaking anyway, considering the increase in his power, but I can't have you buzzing around, spouting nonsense about bonds and friendship, trying to win him back. And don't think I have no means of enforcing this condition, Naruto-kun. My influence spreads wide enough to affect even you, a lowly genin, and I will not hesitate to destroy what dignity you have left. So, have we reached a concurrence?"

Naruto nodded without hesitating. _He seems to have no problem giving up on Sasuke-kun, _Kabuto observed. _I would have never thought he'd change his mind so radically._

"Excellent," Orochimaru grinned. "I will begin making the necessary arrangements. In the meantime, Kabuto will escort you to proper quarters."

Kabuto beckoned Naruto out the door, and the two walked down the winding corridor. As they left, a clone of Kabuto appeared next to Orochimaru and bent down to examine Sakura's body.

"There's no sign of a simulated death jutsu being used," Kabuto noted. "I believe she really is dead."

"Indeed," Orochimaru replied. "You saw the boy's eyes. They were filled with resignation, and with resignation comes sincerity. I always knew Konoha's major weakness would one day play into our favor. They are too concerned with the individual life, rather than the ultimate goal which lies ahead."

The sannin and the Kabuto clone left the room and walked in an opposite direction from Naruto and the real Kabuto. At the end were large double-doors which lead to Orochimaru's main laboratory.

"So do you actually have the ability to transfer the seal off Naruto's body?" Kabuto asked.

Orochimaru nodded. "Of course. I began developing the jutsu to transfer a seal from one subject to another years ago. The subject that has the seal removed usually doesn't survive however, so I'll need you to maintain his vital signs while I perform the technique. As dim-witted as he might be, it would be prudent take him seriously. After all, he has been training with Jiraiya these past few years."

* * *

A few hours later, Naruto was summoned to the main laboratory. He arrived to find Orochimaru standing at a wooden table with Sakura's body lying on top of it.

"I hope you don't mind, but I thought it necessary to summon another individual whom I consider very important to the task at hand. Kabuto should be arriving with him shortly."

A few seconds later, Kabuto walked through the double-doors, accompanied by a tall, raven-haired boy armed with a sword. The boy's dark eyes shifted impassively to Naruto. "I was wondering when you'd show up again."

Naruto turned his head and glanced unsmilingly at the newcomer. "It's good to see you too, Sasuke," he replied sarcastically.

"You seem to be by yourself this time. Have you finally started doing missions on your own instead of tagging along behind Kakashi? What about that other kid, Sai was it? Did he get tired of you too? I'm interested to see when Sakura's--"

"Sakura's dead."

The words that Naruto spoke were not so much out of grief, but rather a cold annoyance, not very different from the common tone used by the boy he now spoke to.

Sasuke was silent for a few seconds, his expression remaining unchanged. "Hn. Couldn't protect her this time?"

Naruto glared icily at the Uchiha. "No, but at least I never betrayed her."

Sasuke shook his head. "I'm not surprised that you still don't understand. I am an avenger. I broke the bonds between us in order to better fulfill the path I was destined for."

"And what good is revenge? Once you kill Itachi, what then? Your clan is _dead_, Sasuke, nothing you do will change that! You had a new family back in Konoha, but apparently they didn't mean as much to you as your selfish little quest!"

"Ah, ah," Orochimaru cut in. "May I remind you why you are here, Naruto-kun: to overturn the death of your friend at the expense of the living."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "So that's why you're here, to revive Sakura? Ku ku, you're many things Naruto, but I never thought 'hypocrite' would be one of them."

"No," Naruto objected. "This is different. This is…something I need to do…to keep a promise."

Sasuke suddenly looked bored. "Bah, I'm not interested in this little reunion right now. So why did you really summon me, Orochimaru-sama?"

"I told you that I would give you the power you needed to defeat your brother," Orochimaru replied. "And today is another step towards that end. Naruto-kun has graciously offered us the kyuubi in exchange for reviving the pink-haired girl.

"You, Sasuke-kun, are going to be its new container."

Sasuke's face remained expressionless, but his mind was racing. He thought of all those times when Naruto displayed extraordinary power, when his own chakra seemed inferior compared to the swirling mass that surrounded his teammate. He remembered peering into Naruto's consciousness with the Sharingan and seeing the monster he was hosting. Sasuke had been able to suppress it then, but only because the demon was sealed, and under the control of Naruto's own chakra. Then his thoughts came to the Valley of the End, where Naruto had fought and prevailed against his Sharingan, and even level two of the Cursed Seal. Naruto was eventually defeated, but if he had not decided to relent at the last minute…

…_The power of the nine-tails far outweighs my own. It will be quite useful in killing my brother._

For the first time since he walked in, Sasuke smiled. "Good. Let's continue then."

"There is one thing I must warn you about before we proceed, Naruto-kun," Orochimaru said, turning to the genin. "When she first awakens, she will have no memories. I do not know when or if her previous memories will ever resurface."

Naruto hesitated for a second, but then nodded. "Just as long as she's alive," he replied.

Orochimaru began forming a long and complex order of hand seals, then placed his hands over the dead kunoichi's chest. A green glow eminated from his hands and slowly moved to envelop Sakura's entire body. Orochimaru held this position for several minutes.

After what, to Naruto, seemed like an eternity, he began to notice color returning to Sakura's cheeks. Soon, her chest was moving up and down, as her respiratory system started functioning again. Finally, Orochimaru released the jutsu and stepped away from Sakura. He looked visibly winded, and Kabuto escorted him to a nearby chair. Kabuto turned to address Naruto. "The technique is complete, but she won't actually regain consciousness for several hours, perhaps even days. We will begin the extraction momentarily."

Naruto nodded, and Kabuto noticed a trace of the first genuine smile he had seen the blonde give since he arrived. Yet, his eyes looked as though they harbored some sort of sadness. There was still no life in them.

The sannin's assistant gestured to another corner of the lab, where two more tables sat adjacent to each other, surrounded by a large seal painted on the floor. Naruto slowly made his way over, but stopped when he heard Sasuke's voice behind him. "Why, Naruto? Why throw away your only source of power just to save one life?"

Naruto kept his back turned the Uchiha. He couldn't help but smile to himself. _Three years ago, I would have been happy if he asked me this many questions._ "Because to me, life is more important than power will ever be, and I will do anything within my power to protect Sakura-chan, even if it means giving up power."

"And you expect to become Hokage, the most powerful shinobi in Konoha?"

Naruto resumed walking toward the tables. "...I guess not. At least, not anymore."

Sasuke followed behind him. "I was right all along. You really _are _an idiot."

Orochimaru stood up, his strength seemingly returned. He motioned for Naruto and Sasuke to lie down on the tables. When they had done so, Orochimaru placed a seal on each of their foreheads, rendering both shinobi unconscious. Kabuto took his position beside Naruto, his healing chakra glowing and ready.

Again the snake sannin formed several hand seals and uttered "_Fuin isou."_ He closed his eyes and placed his hands in the same position on Naruto and Sasuke's stomach. The seal on Naruto's stomach slowly faded into view, then started turning red. As it glowed brighter and brighter, the markings began flickering as though they were on fire. Then, piece by piece, the markings began to dissipate.

* * *

The demon fox was awakened by a sudden shaking within its cage. He peered out behind the bars and noticed the blonde shinobi lying unconscious outside. The seal that held the cage together was still there, but something was different. The seal glowed red, and the shaking increased along with the brightness of the glow.

Something was definitely wrong. The kid was never unconscious when he appeared outside the cage. **"Hey kid!"** The fox called. **"Wake up! What are you doing, sleeping or something? Is this your way of trying to get attention from me?"**

Naruto did not respond, and the shaking continued to increase. Suddenly, the glow from the seal seemed to encompass the entire room and the cage itself. The kyuubi squinted its eyes amidst the glare, trying to make out its motionless container outside. **"What the hell is going on out there!?"** the fox demanded. **"Is this some sort of joke? Answer me, you fool!"**

As sudden as it had spread, the glow subsided until only the seal was emitting a bright red. Eventually the glow on the seal faded, and it returned to its original formed. The kyuubi looked out to find the room beyond its cage had changed. The layout was different and everything seemed…darker. The kyuubi shifted its eyes to the floor, only to find Naruto's body had disappeared. However, another figure stood in its place, one with deep red eyes that were all too familiar to the demon fox.

**"You! What are you doing back here? Where's the other kid?"**

The dark-haired boy grinned, his pale face looking almost as sinister as the fox itself. "Shut up, you damn fox. I am your master now."

* * *

Orochimaru opened his eyes. He first looked over at his assistant, who had beads of sweat forming on the edge of his glasses. It had taken effort, but the Konoha genin was still breathing, the markings now gone from his stomach. The sannin then looked down at his apprentice, and was pleased to see the same seal that the blonde shinobi once possessed now lying on the stomach of the Uchiha, the last of the red glow now disappearing.

He glanced back at Kabuto, who was silently trying to catch his breath. "The technique was a success." He informed him. "You may take each boy back to respective quarters and remove the coma-inducing seals."

* * *

Naruto woke to find himself in the quarters that Kabuto assigned him earlier. They weren't very accommodating, of course. He lay on a simple stone slab that jutted out from the wall, and the only light in the room was from a single torch that hung next to the door. The blonde took a moment to process all that had happened. When Orochimaru had placed that seal on his forehead. He had gradually slipped into his own subconscious, and for a brief instant he could see the faint outline of the kyuubi cage and the seal that kept it closed. The seal, he remembered, had been glowing, but as soon as he recognized his surroundings, they were gone, and he could remember nothing else.

_But it didn't feel like I left that place. It felt like it…left me. Like it was there at one moment and gone in the next._

Naruto closed his eyes again and began focusing his mind, trying to return to that place. Try as he might, there was nothing that appeared. No room, no cage, no demon fox.

_So it really is gone. That thing was in me since I could remember, and now…it's nothing but a memory._

Naruto smiled wanly, feeling a sense of freedom that he had never experienced before. He sat up, put his feet on the floor, and tried to get up, only to be impeded by a wave of dizziness that struck him as he left the stone slab. He sat back down and put his hand over his forehead. He couldn't remember ever having a headache this large.

_Why can't I get up? It feels like I have no chakra. But I haven't used any since I got here._

He tried getting up again, and almost succeeded in taking a step forward, but the room spun around violently, bringing him to his knees.

"Ah, I see you're awake now. I wouldn't recommend moving much, though."

Naruto looked up and saw a pair of round spectacles staring back down at him. He crawled back to the stone slab and lay back down, still grimacing from the throbbing in his head.

"You're suffering from chakra withdrawl," Kabuto continued. "Since the demon fox was removed, his chakra is no longer accessible to you, and you are left with your own. Your system has gotten so used to the demon chakra that it now behaves as if you are severely depleted. It will take time for the effects to subside."

Naruto shook his head. "No, I have to leave as soon as possible. I have to get Sakura away from this place and back to Konoha where she belongs. I can't afford having something else happen to her."

"Orochimaru has guaranteed your safety while you are here, Naruto-kun. I'm sure he will allow you to recover before you leave."

"That's just it. Since when has your master been that nice? It's only a matter of time before he changes his mind and decides to kill me and her. Or maybe Sasuke will beat him to it."

Kabuto shrugged. "I wouldn't be too worried about the latter. Sasuke still hasn't regained consciousness. But if you wish to leave, I suppose we have no reason to stop you."

Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out a small metal container. He emptied the contents into his hand, and Kabuto recognized the small object as a soldier pill. "I never thought I'd ever have to use one of these," Naruto muttered. He swallowed the small pellet, and a few seconds later he was on his feet, the dizziness apparently no longer affecting him.

"Take me to Sakura," He told Kabuto.

The Konoha genin and the agent of the Sound entered another room a few yards down the hall. Sakura lay on the stone slab, still unconscious but clearly alive. There now seemed to be no trace that she was ever otherwise. Naruto walked over to her and positioned her so he could carry her piggy-back, and trudged out of the room and down the narrow passageway. As he approached the end of the hall, Orochimaru appeared in front of him. "Leaving so soon, Naruto-kun? Well, I suppose it's a good idea considering the state of things. However, I believe there is one more object I must have before you depart."

Naruto hesitated briefly, then reached around his neck and removed the crystal necklace. He silently dropped it in the sannin's outstretched hand. Orochimaru smiled, and stepped aside, allowing Naruto to pass.

As the genin reached the door, Orochimaru spoke again. "Oh, and by the way, any effort to warn Konoha about me will be futile. It wouldn't be wise to remain in that village for very much longer."

Naruto stopped, but didn't turn around. "That may be true…" He formed the genjutsu release seal, and daylight flooded the first few feet of the corridor, silhouetting the genin and the girl he was carrying against the doorway. "…But I still believe you underestimate us."

Naruto disappeared from the doorway, which returned to its illusion wall. Kabuto walked up and stood next to Orochimaru. "Strange to hear such conceding words from him, even after you revived the girl."

"Obviously, the boy couldn't handle the life of the shinobi," Orochimaru replied. "I have seen many men broken by the pain and death that comes from being employed in that profession. It's fairly common for this to happen to someone his age."

"So what are your plans now, Orochimaru-sama?"

The snake sannin laughed softly. "Ku, ku, ku. We're going to test our new toy, of course. I'm sure Sasuke-kun will be eager to try out his newfound strength as well."

Naruto made his way out of town as discreetly as possible, even removing his forehead protector so no one would notice he was an outsider. However, he could feel many curious eyes at his back, no doubt wondering what he was doing walking so quickly and carrying an unconscious girl. He made it to the forest he had emerged out of days before, and began sprinting between tree branches.

After a while into his journey, Naruto felt Sakura stir behind him. The blonde stopped in a clearing and removed her from his back, laying her down on the grass. She opened her eyes and squinted at the face looking down at her.

"W-where…am I? A-and who…?"

"You're in a forest on the border of Fire and Rice Field Country. I'm Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto." He smiled, his warm blue eyes reflecting the relief he felt at having his teammate back.

Sakura stared blankly at the genin. "T-then, who am I?"

Naruto put his hand on the back of his neck and smiled wider. "Oh, you're Sakura-ch—I mean, you're Haruno Sakura. Your memory was lost in…an accident. I'm taking you back home, to Konoha in Fire Country."

The pink-haired kunoichi continued to stare at Naruto. Her green eyes were wide with fear as she struggled to grasp her current situation.

Naruto's smile faded. _She looks like the same old Sakura-chan, but her behavior is definitely different. Orochimaru wasn't lying about the memory thing. I have to at least let her know she's safe._

He reached for her hand and held it in his, nearly cringing out of reflex, as this action would surely have earned him a wallop from the old Sakura. "Don't worry. You can trust me. I would never let anything happen to you. I know everything must feel uncomfortable right now, but I'll help you through it. Do you understand?"

Sakura cocked her head with uncertainty for a moment, but soon she seemed to relax. She looked back at Naruto and slowly nodded her head. _Something in his eyes and his voice…They feel so…genuine. I can't help but believe that he's telling the truth._

Naruto's smile returned. "Good. Well, we'd better get going again, from the looks of it, we only have a few hours of daylight left."

Seeing that she was still quite weak, Naruto hoisted her up on his back, and resumed his sprint. Sakura looked down in amazement at the precision and speed Naruto used in maneuvering between the tree branches. "H-how are you going so fast, and we're so high up in the trees!"

Naruto laughed, but there was a hint of sadness behind it. "That's because I'm a shinobi, or at least I have been these past few years. Its basic stuff you learn at the shinobi academy. You're one too, y'know."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Really? You mean, I could do this too?"

"Sure. In fact, you could probably do this better than me, seeing as you're better with controlling your chakra."

"Chakra? What's that?"

"Oh, uh…well, I'll tell you later. I guess there's a lot of stuff you need to catch up on."

Naruto frowned. _This is worse than I thought_. _Does this mean all of her knowledge of being a ninja is gone?_

They continued through the forest, Naruto trying to fill Sakura in on anything he could. The more they talked, the more comfortable she seemed with Naruto, as though his warm familiarity was coming back to her. In the middle of their conversation, she suddenly felt Naruto's arms tense.

"What is it?"

"Someone's picked up our trail." Naruto said in a low voice. "They're moving to intercept us."

The blonde stopped abruptly and landed on the ground. A split second later, four figures materialized around them, each wearing a grey suit and a white mask. One stepped forward and addressed Naruto in a stern voice. "Put the girl down and come with us."

Naruto complied with the first request, but remained unmoving, keeping Sakura near him. "Why did you come after me?" he asked.

Another one of the ANBU members answered him. "Uzumaki Naruto, you are hereby under arrest for burglary, assault, and suspicion of treason."

Naruto felt a fist dig into his stomach. He glanced over at the Sakura's frightened face. It was the last thing he saw before he blacked out.

* * *

Original words or phrases (not seen in manga or anime):

Fuin isou--Seal Transfer

* * *

Also, just a quick note of thanks to all my faithful readers out there. I'm glad you enjoy it so far.  



	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_He was standing…somewhere…somewhere familiar, yet he couldn't see clearly enough to make out where he was. He did know that he was not the only one there. A boy stood several feet in front of him, but his features were indistinct, and he was not recognizable either. The boy was speaking to him, but he caught only a few words._

"_Can you understand…_

"_the pain of simply living…?"_

_He struggled to make out more of what this boy was saying. For some reason, it seemed important—as though it would be the only thing he would ever hear from him. He started walking toward the boy, but the distance between him and the boy remained unchanged. He opened his mouth to call to the boy, but no words came out. The boy spoke again._

"_Can you understand…_

"_the most painful thing…?"_

* * *

When Naruto awoke, he was surrounded by a white blur. As his vision cleared, he was able to make out walls and sunlight coming through blinds on a nearby window. It only took another moment to recognize where he was, as he had been here many times before: Konoha hospital.

A shooting pain ran through his temples, and Naruto winced. The bone-crushing headache he had before was back. Apparently the effects of the soldier pill had long since worn out. The pain was worse than before, taking away any possibility of trying to move. He was even having a hard time remembering where it came from in the first place, as focusing his thoughts was difficult. _And_ _what was that dream about anyway…?_

The sound of an opening door broke his attempts for coherence. Naruto rolled his head to one side and narrowed his eyes to see what the source of the sound was. A young woman with short black hair entered, carrying a clipboard. She was definitely a familiar face, although it still took Naruto a second to recognize her.

"S-Shizune-san?"

The medic closed the door behind her and looked over at him. Her eyes acknowledged him, but she was not smiling, and remained silent. She rolled a chair next to his bed, sat down, and began to examine him.

As Naruto watched her take his blood-pressure and check his heart rate, the pain faded somewhat, allowing his mind a brief respite. However, in that moment all his previous memories came back to him: Orochimaru, the kyuubi extraction, and…

"Where's Sakura?" His voice was suddenly stronger, despite his current condition.

Shizune did not look at him, and continued with her work. "Sakura is currently being examined and treated in another section of the hospital. She's perfectly fine where she is. There is no need to be concerned with her."

Naruto relaxed slightly. Even though he still wished he could be by her side, he trusted the medical teams. At least she was safely home. Feeling a sharp pinch in his right arm, Naruto looked down to see Shizune removing a needle from his skin. "What's that for?" Naruto asked warily, having never liked the prospect of shots.

"This should alleviate the pain enough for you to function today," The medic replied. "You remained unconscious for an extended period of time after you were incapacitated by the ANBU recovery team. We felt it necessary to keep you in the hospital for a day, until you awakened and were coherent." Her eyes still did not meet Naruto's as she studied her clipboard, her expression still grave. For the first time since he woke up, Naruto felt something cold around his left wrist. He looked down to see that he was handcuffed to the bed frame.

Shizune spoke again. "Tsunade-sama wishes for the hearing to commence as soon as possible. An ANBU guard will arrive shortly to escort you to the meeting chamber."

Naruto stared at Shizune in confusion, but then the words of the ANBU in the forest echoed in his mind.

_So I'm under arrest. It doesn't matter, really. I did what I set out to do. They can do whatever they want with me now. _

Without another word, Shizune got up and left the room. Naruto felt his head beginning to clear as the drug ran its course through his system. A few minutes later an ANBU guard walked in. He took a set of keys from his belt and unlocked the cuff around Naruto's wrist. "Get dressed," he said gruffly "and come with me to the meeting chamber."

Naruto wearily obeyed, noticing that the clothes laid out for him were a t-shirt and jeans; simple civilian's attire. He expected a sort of longing for his orange jumpsuit, but he felt nothing. Walking in front of the ANBU member, who had cuffed Naruto's wrist to his own, the blonde left the hospital and proceeded toward Hokage tower.

Arriving at a large arena-like room, Naruto recognized the balconies running across both sides, and the giant stone arms forming a hand seal which made up the far wall. This was where he had participated in the preliminary match of the third test in the chuunin exam, a lifetime ago it seemed. Now, a long rectangular table sat in front of him. All the elders, council members, and anyone else important enough to make decisions for the village sat in a row behind the table, save for one unoccupied seat in the center. Naruto moved to a single vacant chair on the other side of the table and faced the villagers. He recognized a few faces, including a certain white-haired perverted sannin. All seemed to have disapproving looks in their eyes, eyes that Naruto knew well. Even Jiraiya seemed to be observing him with uncertainty. _I don't even have the kyuubi anymore, and they still look at me as though I'm some sort of outsider. I guess some things will never change._

As the blonde stood in front of the chair, the ANBU member still standing next to him, a door opened on the right side of the room. The Godaime Hokage strode out briskly and took the center seat behind the table. One look at her face made Naruto shiver slightly. Her eyes were narrowed, her jaw was set firmly and there seemed to be a permanent crease in her forehead. It didn't take someone with Shikamaru's IQ to figure out she was angry. In fact, she was beyond angry. From Naruto's perspective, she looked downright pissed.

"Sit down," she said curtly. There was no trace of formalities or politeness in her voice, and it left no room for argument. Naruto had seen Tsunade angry before, and had usually seen the shattered pieces of furniture that attested to her temper. But this was different. Her anger wasn't out of the need for intimidation or violence, but out of extreme disappointment and disgust, and that made her much more frightening.

The Hokage was silent for a moment as she shuffled through several papers on the table. Then she looked up and addressed the villagers on either side of her. "The following meeting was called in order to discuss the appropriate course of action concerning the charges leveled against Uzumaki Naruto, genin and member of Team 7, led by Hatake Kakashi. Now, if there are no questions we will begin." The silence prompted Tsunade to continue. "Naruto, five days ago a medic on night-watch witnessed a break-in in the mortuary wing of Konoha Hospital. He provided a description matching your features. Did you commit the burglary?"

"Yes," Naruto replied, seeing no reason to deny it.

"And did you then proceed to remove Haruno Sakura's body from the examination room and leave the hospital with it?"

"Yes."

"And did you then leave the village with Sakura's body and without permission to do so?"

"Yes."

"Where did you go after this?"

"I went to Oto, the Hidden Village of Sound in Rice Field Country."

Naruto's response drew scattered gasps and murmurings from the villagers. One look from Tsunade and they fell silent.

"Are you aware," The elder council member Homura Otchan spoke, "that the Hidden Village of Sound is currently an enemy of Konoha, and is off limits to all Konoha residents except shinobi on approved mission-related activity?"

"Yes."

"Why then, did you deliberately disregard this?" Tsunade's temper was starting to flare as her voice increased in volume.

"I had to. It was the only way I could get Sakura back," Naruto answered, his quiet, somber voice a stark contrast to the Hokage's.

"How exactly did you 'get her back'?" Another elder, Koharu asked.

Naruto was silent for a second before answering. "Orochimaru performed a forbidden jutsu and returned her to life."

More gasps and murmurs from the villagers, more pronounced this time. Tsunade leaned back in her chair, still managing to maintain her composure. It had happened just as she feared: Naruto, overcome by the pain of loss, had consulted with one of the most dangerous men alive. It was a situation the Hokage herself had faced, but through the support of a few unlikely friends, she had managed to turn down his offer, and became stronger because of it. Now, one of the people who had helped her through her ordeal had met the same fate, and despite the efforts of his own friends, fell victim to despair and desperation. He had sought a solution to his problem where there should never have been one.

…_but at what price?_

Tsunade had seen his medical reports. The medics had recorded that he had symptoms of chakra withdrawal. These charts were confirmed by a scan of Naruto's chakra paths, which showed a flow that was way below average for the blonde genin. Of course, every adult in Konoha knew why he had had so much chakra in the first place.

The Hokage leaned forward again. It was time to find out whether Naruto, the Number One Most Unpredictable Ninja, had made the most unpredictable, most dangerous decision of his life. "Now tell me, Naruto," her voice was calm, but very grave. "Did Orochimaru demand anything in return for the use of his jutsu?"

Naruto stared expressionlessly at the Hokage. "Yes, he did,"

"What did you do?"

"I allowed him to extract the kyuubi from my body and transfer it to Sasuke's."

The meeting hall erupted with the angry reactions of the villagers, some of which had risen from their chairs and began to shout fiercely at Naruto. He couldn't make out anything that was being said amidst the commotion, but he didn't need to in order to know their feelings toward his actions. The only one silent was Jiraiya, who still sat in his chair with his arms crossed, looking at Naruto with the same expression he had before.

"SILENCE!" The Hokage's voice rose easily above all others, and the room instantly quieted.

She again addressed Naruto, unable to contain her disbelief. "Is it even possible that you are unaware of the consequences of your actions? You have just put the most destructive power ever known in the hands of a man bent on this village's destruction! I cannot even fathom _why_ you would…" she found it difficult speak, the level of her frustration was so high. "...put the fate of Konoha in jeopardy so blatantly! You are a Konoha shinobi! You're supposed to protect this village with your very _life_! Just tell me, Naruto, _why_!?"

The answer was easy to Naruto, but he knew it would not satisfy his interrogators. "Sakura is an important person to me. I swore I would protect her."

"Even if it means the deaths of others!?" Tsunade shouted. "You can't just play around with people's lives, Naruto! Is this what you'll tell the shinobi who don't even know her, yet go into battle against a near-invincible foe and face certain death!?"

Naruto was unable to answer the Hokage. He sat in silence, gazing at the faces of the irate villagers. Suddenly a cloud of smoke appeared beside him. "I believe that is mere speculation," a voice said within the cloud.

The smoke cleared to reveal a silver-haired, masked shinobi. "I apologize for being late," he began, "you see, I was--"

"We don't have the time or patience for an explanation, Kakashi," Tsunade interrupted him wearily. "Are you here to speak in Naruto's defense?"

The jounin nodded. "Now, as I was saying, there is no way to know what Orochimaru's true intentions with the kyuubi are. According to Naruto, he did implant it into Sasuke, and he still has a few months before he can transfer into Sasuke's body. Sasuke may not care very much for Konoha at the moment, but his target of vengeance lies elsewhere. Despite Orochimaru's new advantage, I doubt Konoha is in any immediate danger."

"Yes, but the fact remains, Orochimaru _does_ have possession of the nine-tails. He will eventually find a way to attack Konoha, and Naruto has provided him with a perfect opportunity."

"Naruto did act impulsively, but it was to protect a fellow Konoha shinobi."

"A shinobi who was already dead! If Naruto can't accept that death is a part of being a shinobi, then he will not be able to perform his duties efficiently and he becomes a liability. He's already proven that!"

"Naruto is a shinobi, but he is also a human being. It is only natural for humans to resist the aspect of death, especially if it is the death of someone close to them." Kakashi looked across the table and raised his voice, addressing all the villagers present. "If you realized where Naruto has come from, maybe you'd understand. All his life, you have shunned him because of the demon that he carried. For years, Naruto was led to believe he was alone. Then he became a shinobi, and was able to develop relationships with children his own age, children who had no knowledge of the demon inside him, and thus were able to accept him. Naruto realized he was no longer alone, and it was that realization that allowed him to become one of the finest shinobi that has ever been under my command. When one of the few that acknowledged him was taken away from him right before his eyes, Naruto couldn't bear to see a relationship he had desired for so many years disappear.

"And so," Kakashi continued, "he decided to change fate, not for his sake, but for hers. You heard what he said: he had to protect Sakura. His motives were not selfish, but they arose out of the natural human need for some sort of contact with other humans. _That _is what the bonds between fellow shinobi are all about. We give our lives for our comrades, and in return, we receive the assurance that we are not alone."

Dead silence followed Kakashi's speech. No one had ever heard the jounin speak like this, particularly about one of his fellow shinobi. Naruto looked up in shock at Kakashi's half-covered face, which still had the same bored look it always did. _Did he really mean all that he said just now? I never knew how much he actually understood._

Tsunade finally spoke. "We will take a brief recess to discuss Naruto's sentence and reconvene in an hour."

The villagers rose from their seats and left through the same door Naruto had seen the Hokage enter through earlier. Kakashi nodded to the ANBU guard, who unlocked Naruto's handcuff. Then he turned to Naruto. "C'mon, we're going to go see Sakura."

Naruto frowned. "Is she still ok?"

"Physically, she's fine," Kakashi replied, "but somehow, she's experiencing paranoia due to the amnesia, and she's very uncomfortable around everyone, even me. The medics have told me she's been asking to see you all day."

The two walked back to the hospital, and Kakashi led Naruto to Sakura's room. When they opened the door, Sakura turned, her face lighting up when she saw the genin.

"Naruto! I didn't think they'd let you come here. Where have you been?"

Naruto angled his head and forced a smile, though inwardly he was taken aback. _I can't remember her ever being this happy to see me._ "Well, I've been sort of…detained for a while. I'm sorry I didn't come here sooner."

"Back in the forest, they said you were under arrest. What did you do to get arrested, and who are these people?" Sakura looked suspiciously at Kakashi.

Naruto saw where she was looking. "Oh, him? This is Kakashi-sensei. He's our shinobi team captain. Don't worry, he's harmless." Kakashi raised his uncovered eyebrow at that remark. "What'd I do to get arrested? Well, I uh…stole something."

"Stole something? Naruto, I don't understand."

The blonde sighed. There was very little he could get past Sakura, who despite her loss of memory was still quite sharp. "I guess there's no reason to hide it from you. The reason why you've lost your memory is because you…died."

The kunoichi's eyes widened, then narrowed, reflecting her surprise and subsequent confusion.

"You were killed in a battle with enemy shinobi," Naruto continued. "I stole your body from the village morgue and brought it to another shinobi who was able to revive you. This shinobi is…actually another enemy, and Konoha arrested me for treason."

"Treason!?" Sakura sputtered. "Don't they usually put you to death for that? Naruto, are you sure we can trust these people? I mean, is this really where I'm from?"

"It's ok," Naruto assured her. "It may look bad now, but it's going to be all right. Besides, I told you that you can trust me, right? Well, I'm telling you now that you can trust everyone here. They're only here to help you."

"But what about _you_?" Sakura stared at Naruto, her face contorted with worry and her eyes starting to tear up.

Naruto was barely able to hide his astonishment. _Is she that worried about me?_ "We'll see in about an hour. They're deciding the sentence now."

Sakura lowered her head and leaned her back against the pillows on her bed. Kakashi regarded her thoughtfully. _I can't imagine what's going through her head right now. This all must seem so overwhelming for a person who can't remember anything about her past._

The jounin nudged Naruto and gestured toward the door. "Well, I have to go now," Naruto told his teammate. "I'll definitely come back to see you though." He turned to walk out, but turned back at the doorway and smiled. "Remember, everything's going to turn out ok. Don't worry about a thing."

Sakura managed a smile as she watched Naruto walked away, but as he disappeared, her eyes fell. _I wish…I wish I could remember something…anything…_

Kakashi walked with the blonde through the hospital corridors in silence, until the jounin spoke up quietly. "I figured this would be the case."

"What do you mean?" Naruto looked up inquiringly.

"She relies on you considerably more than anyone else," Kakashi answered. "Now it may just be your personality, but I'm guessing it's because you were the first one she saw when she woke up. You noticed how worried she was about you and how wary she was of me. If anyone's going to be able to help her regain her memory, it has to be you. You're the only one she seems to respond to."

"Hn, it doesn't look like that's going to happen, though. All the villagers in that meeting looked like they _wanted _me dead."

The two shinobi arrived back at Hokage tower, where the ANBU guard was waiting for them. Kakashi made his way to the Hokage's office, where Tsunade and her council were still deciding the future of the blonde genin. Naruto stayed with the ANBU guard. As he waited for the verdict, he couldn't help but wonder why he was not gripped with anxiety at the prospect of losing his life.

_It seems so strange. I've been faced with death so many times during missions, now I'm facing death as a criminal, accused by my own village. My whole life…all I wanted was for the people in this village to acknowledge me. I thought becoming a shinobi, and eventually surpassing all other shinobi to become Hokage would be the best way to make that happen…_

…_could I have been wrong?_

* * *

The hour passed quickly, and Naruto looked up to see the "jury" file out of the door on the right wall, and take their respective seats at the long table. Kakashi came out too, and stood by the chair where the blonde sat somberly. The Hokage's expression had hardly eased, if at all. She once again shuffled through a stack of papers she had brought with her from her office. Clearing her throat, she addressed the genin:

"As shinobi, it is difficult to know how to not only cope with death, but to help others cope with it as well, since each individual has their own way. Looking back on my decisions this last week, I suppose I might have been able to help you cope a little better, perhaps in a way that would not have alienated your trust in your comrades. Now, your actions—though they were questionable and not beyond punishment, the break-in at the hospital and the assault of the ANBU member are relatively small crimes, which are somewhat understandable given your emotional state at the time.

"Your actions afterward though, involving your trip to Oto and your dealings with Orochimaru, are inexcusable. By allowing the demon that was sealed in you by the Yondaime Hokage—who saved this village from its destructive power—to fall into the hands of that man, you have once again endangered Konoha. You have virtually undone all the Yondaime gave his life to protect. For this treasonous act, the penalty should rightfully be death."

"However…" Tsunade paused, her eyes softening slightly for the first time since the beginning of the hearing. "However, other factors must be considered. First is the fact that you had no say in the matter when the demon was sealed within you in the first place. There were many circumstances in you life that you had no control over, and that someone your age should not have had to go through. It was indeed the Yondaime's wish that you be viewed as a hero for taking on the enormous burden of housing the kyuubi. I daresay this village did not heed his words." Tsunade glanced down either side of the table, her eyes hardening again briefly. "We have overlooked the difficulties we have caused you in the past, and it would not be wise to make that mistake today.

"Second," she continued, picking up another paper off the table, "is a matter brought to my attention by the hospital medics and Hatake Kakashi. Another unfortunate participant in this chain of events, Haruno Sakura, has contracted a form of amnesia following her resurrection. Now, I have studied the effects of amnesia, and the paranoia that arises from it is a natural, yet very influencing side effect. It is quite promising that she has connected with you, as many who suffer from this condition do not develop any bonds whatsoever, and it is very difficult to cure them. Since she has become the way she is through events beyond her control, it would be unfair to punish her as well by rendering useless the only progress she has made in regaining her memory."

The Hokage straightened in her chair. "And so, it is by decision of this council that Uzumaki Naruto be decommissioned as a Konoha shinobi indefinitely, and placed under permanent house arrest. He will at no time leave this village, or consult with anyone without prior permission from the Hokage. He will also be assigned to aid in Haruno Sakura's rehabilitation. Any further lapse from these orders, and he will subsequently be put to death. Do you understand these conditions?"

Naruto nodded, his face completely unreadable.

"Very well. Step forward, please." Tsunade rose from her chair, as Naruto did the same. He walked up to the table, and Tsunade pulled a kunai from her jacket. She reached behind Naruto's head and cut the cloth on his forehead protector, removing it from his head. "Hold out your hand," she ordered. When Naruto did so, the Hokage took the kunai and slid it across his palm, drawing blood and forming a scratch. She then ran the tip of the kunai across the leaf symbol on Naruto's head protector. "This signifies that the genin Uzumaki Naruto has been relieved of the title and from all duties pertaining to a shinobi of Konohagakure no sato. May these marks remind him of his status and the penalty for reclaiming the title of shinobi or performing the duties thereof." She folded and returned the forehead protector to Naruto, who turned and walked slowly back to his chair.

"This meeting is adjourned," Tsunade announced, as the other villagers stood up. Everyone left the meeting hall and went their respective ways, the Hokage returning to her office. The ANBU member motioned for Naruto to follow him. As he got up from his chair he glanced over at Kakashi, who still stood next to him. The jounin's eye met his for a second, then Kakashi turned and headed toward the exit without another word. Naruto and the ANBU member left through an exit on the opposite end of the building, and set out toward Naruto's apartment.

* * *

The blonde walked straight past the kitchen to his room. It was lunch time and he hadn't eaten all day, but he had no appetite. He had fully expected to be given the death penalty during that trial, but out of a mercy even the Hokage seemed reluctant to extend, he had been merely stripped of the shinobi name, and confined to his apartment.

_Heh…at one point, I would have rather chosen death, but now…I just don't care anymore. _

He looked down at the forehead protector with his blood stained across the engraving. He had earned it, even though the odds were against him, and no one believed in him. As he wore this headband and fought to gain the recognition of others, one girl believed in him enough to save his life at the cost of her own, but he had failed to validate her trust and return the favor. In turn, he had failed to validate the title granted to him, symbolized by this now rusty piece of metal.

Somehow, he had managed to make things right—at least, the way they should have been. He was free of that damned fox, and those most important to him were still with him. _This is my chance to start over. Everything starts new from here on._

He opened a drawer in his dresser and cleared a spot in the corner. There, he placed the headband and covered it with folded clothes. He slowly closed the drawer, laid down on his bed, and drifted off to sleep.

Now, like the kyuubi, it too served only as a memory.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Orochimaru-sama…it's time."

"Good. You may proceed."

Kabuto nodded and walked out of Orochimaru's study. Continuing down the long hallway, he came to another room and opened the door. Unlike the rest of the rooms lining the corridor, this one was completely dark, with no torches mounted upon the walls. Kabuto stepped through the doorway, and a voice came from inside.

"Kabuto. After all this time, you finally decide to pay a visit," the voice growled. "How's life as Orochimaru's little lapdog, eh?"

"I apologize for not coming to see you more often, Yoroi-senpai," Kabuto replied calmly, "but as of now, Orochimaru-sama requires your assistance once again."

"Bah. So he's run out of his so-called 'reliable' associates, and now he's come crawling back to me?" Yoroi chuckled. "Did they all get killed by those Konoha brats?"

"More or less, although some had to be…dismissed."

The burly sound shinobi emerged from the darkness, wearing two shaded monocles and a mask which covered his nose and mouth. "So what's this about anyway?"

"Well, for one, you'll have a chance for revenge."

The two continued down the passageway until they came to a large metal door. Inside was a large room, empty except for torches lining the walls. "So is that all you're going to tell me?" Yoroi asked impatiently.

"There is a shinobi who's actions and behavior have disappointed Orochimaru-sama, and he has requested that you dispose of him."

"Have I heard of this shinobi?"

"Oh yes. He is the Uchiha you fought three years ago in the chuunin exam. Unfortunately, he has not met Orochimaru-sama's expectations since he defected to us shortly after the failed attack on Konoha."

Yoroi's brow furrowed. _So, that Uchiha brat wasn't as strong as they thought. He sure was a clever little brat, though, beating me simply with taijutsu. I was too careless then. Now will be different._

"Wait here while I summon him," Kabuto told him, turning around to leave. "Oh, and don't worry about holding back this time. After all, we no longer need him alive."

Yoroi scowled at Kabuto as the younger man disappeared from the doorway. _Ignorant little…I am not to be underestimated._

The sannin's assistant came to another room in the hall. This one was filled with medical equipment, all surrounding a bed in the center, where a dark-haired figure lay. After checking the readings on a few of the machines, Kabuto took a syringe and injected a liquid into the figure's neck. His eyes slowly opened, and Kabuto smiled.

"Ah. I see your Sharingan is now permanently activated, much like Itachi's. Follow me, Orochimaru-sama would like to see you."

Sasuke rose from his bed. His expression was the same as it always was: calm and emotionless. In fact, it seemed even more so than before, as though the inner part of his mind that was always brooding the past and calculating the future had become silent. His face also appeared paler, almost to the point of resembling the hue of a corpse.

Following Kabuto back down the corridor, they came to the large metal door. "Please wait in here," Kabuto held the door open while the Uchiha walked in silently. Closing the door behind him, the assistant headed toward his master's study, smiling to himself. _This should only take a few minutes._

Yoroi smiled under his mask, his monocles glinting in the torchlight. He watched as his dark-haired opponent entered the doorway and strolled stoically through the large room.

"We meet again, Uchiha," Yoroi announced, his voice echoing between the walls. The boy stopped walking and turned to look at him as if noticing him for the first time.

"My, you look rather ill," The sound shinobi continued, still smiling. "Has your health been deteriorating since our last encounter? I figured as much, seeing as they want to get rid of you. I suppose they haven't told you that, have they? This time, I'm not here for a pithy genin duel. I intend now to finish what I started that day."

Sasuke continued to stare at him, unflinching. Yoroi's brow twitched. His words were clearly having no effect. "What's wrong? Not going to come at me? Not going to defend yourself?" He took a step forward. "Fine, if you won't attack, _I will!_"

The shinobi shifted his wrist slightly. The room was illuminated by small flashes of light as torches caught the reflection of several wires and objects shooting from all directions, converging on the spot now occupied by the Uchiha. Yoroi waited expectantly to hear the sound of metal being impaled into flesh.

He instead heard only the clinking of metal against metal and metal against stone. The targeted figure had disappeared at the moment of impact.

Yoroi cursed under his breath. _Damn, a bunshin. Odd that there was no smoke when it dissipated, though._

"Ah, so you're a coward too I see." Yoroi taunted. He quickly shifted his vision and searched in all directions, but there was no sign of the boy. The sound shinobi's muscles tensed. He could have sworn the air had become heavier. _This room is completely empty! There's no place for him to hide, so how—_

His thoughts were broken when he realized he could no longer control his movements. He had tensed to the point where his joints had stiffened and locked.

_Why can't I move? And why does it feel like there's still someone here?_

A bead of sweat slowly formed on Yoroi's forehead and trickled down the bridge of his nose. At the same moment it dropped to the floor in front of him, two torches on the far side of the room went out.

The sound shinobi struggled to form words, but his throat had gone dry, and it resulted in an unintelligible croak. The next farthest pair of torches was extinguished.

Yoroi tensed even more, and his limbs began to involuntarily tremble. He had not heard a single sound in the room since he had missed with the kunai. Another pair of torches ceased to burn.

As the room became darker, Yoroi began to hear a soft noise, similar to a blowing wind. The noise increased in volume, as two more torches went out. There were only two remaining, suspended on both side of the wall directly to his left and right. The sound became ever louder and more defined, as though it were running in circles around him and slowly closing in.

It was right next to him now, raging maddeningly in his eardrums. Yoroi's face was now drenched in perspiration, his joints convulsing violently.

The last two torches went out. It was now completely dark.

The sound cut off instantly. It was now completely silent.

Yoroi stopped breathing.

* * *

Orochimaru and Kabuto walked back towards the metal door. Opening it, they saw the shadowy figure of the Uchiha standing in the center of the room. He appeared unscathed, looking the same as he did when Kabuto left him moments earlier

The sannin smiled. "I see the test is complete."

Kabuto walked further into the room and heard something crunch underneath his foot. Looking down, he picked up a small black circular disk. "One of Yoroi's monocles," he told Orochimaru, "although there seems to be no sign of Yoroi anywhere. Could he have escaped?"

Orochimaru looked back at Sasuke, whose face seemed paler than usual. "No," he answered. "I smell death in this room. He did not survive."

"He most likely did not have time to use his jutsu," Kabuto observed, "but if Sasuke did kill him, shouldn't there be a body?"

"The purpose of the test was to drain Sasuke of all his normal chakra, so that he would have to rely on that of the nine-tails," Orochimaru replied. "If the subject did not use his jutsu, and yet was obliterated, it would seem Sasuke-kun can already use the demon fox's chakra at will." The sannin's smile widened. _You were a clever one, Yondaime-sama, to devise such a useful seal._

"So then, the test with Yoroi was a success?" Kabuto asked.

Orochimaru nodded. "Indeed. There was no need to worry about Sasuke holding back this time. After all, I no longer needed Yoroi alive."

He turned to the Uchiha and continued. "Now that it appears you have control of your power, we shall put it to good use. My spy network has uncovered the latest whereabouts of the Akatsuki organization, of which your brother is a member. They have threatened our plans for too long and I believe it is time that we meet with them for some "aggressive" negotiations. With the power of the nine-tailed fox on our side, they will be no match for us. And as an added bonus, you will be able to fulfill your lifelong ambition and avenge the death of your clan. It is a mutually beneficial decision, no doubt. Are you prepared to join me?"

Sasuke nodded his head once in reply, and walked slowly past them out the door.

"By the way," The sannin added, "I hope you enjoyed that."

Sasuke stopped in the hallway and turned his head slightly toward him. The corner of his mouth slowly curved into a smile, sending an unexpected chill down Kabuto's spine. _What was that? I've never felt this level of fear around him before. That smile…it was different somehow._

Orochimaru turned to Kabuto. "Tell me, how is our other project coming along?"

"Quite well, actually," the medic-nin replied, having recovered quickly. "Thanks to all of your previous research and the recently acquired blood sample, I was able to increase the success rate among the test subjects. However…" he paused to adjust his glasses, "There is one subject who has shown to be of particular interest, a potential once-in-a-lifetime genius, much like you and Itachi."

"I'm impressed Kabuto, for you to have taken my work and improve upon it. I will have to see this "genius" for myself, of course," He fingered the stone that hung around his neck. "We must be certain that Sasuke-kun will behave himself."

"Should I prepare more tests for Sasuke-kun, perhaps with multiple shinobi this time?"

Orochimaru shook his head. "No need. Besides, we don't want to draw too much attention to ourselves. The demon fox has the tendency to alter landscapes with his power, after all."

The sannin headed for the door. "Gather all your needed supplies, including your special test subject. We're leaving for Kumo in the morning. I suspect the Raikage has already become impatient."

"And what of Akatsuki?"

Orochimaru smiled. "They will find out who their new target is soon enough."

* * *

"Mind if I join you?"

Jiraiya looked up from his drink to see the Godaime standing next to him. He nodded, and she sat down on an adjacent stool.

After ordering a drink for herself, she turned and regarded the old man inquiringly. "Something been on your mind?"

Jiraiya lifted the cup to his lips. "What makes you think there is?"

"We haven't received a single complaint from any of the onsens in town this whole week."

"Ha, ha."

The bartender brought Tsunade her drink and she accepted, taking a small swig. "You were awfully quiet at the boy's trial, seeing as you've been his sensei for the last two and a half years."

"So it's 'the boy' now?"

"Don't change the subject."

"Oh, I'm not. I'm just interested to see that I'm not the only one who hasn't figured him out yet."

The Hokage lowered her head, gazing at the tiny ripples in her cup. "I'm not pretending to know what goes on inside that head of his. I just never expected him to make the compromises that he did. I didn't think he was _that_ kind of person. Do you remember what he did when we first met? He perfected the rasengan in a week just to prove himself to me, and he pushed his body to the limit to achieve that goal; Quite an admirable trait in a potential Hokage, eh?" She paused to take another sip. "Then I saw what limits he was _really_ willing to go to."

The two sat for a while in silence. Jiraiya began to remember the conversations he had had with Naruto, particularly the one before they had left.

"_As shinobi, we must make sure that we always have proper judgement and make good decisions. If you want to live as a shinobi, you must be wise. If you're a fool, then the world will be full of pain. That's reality."_

"_I understand. If that's what it means to be wise, I'd be happier living as a fool."_

He had known then what Naruto's goals for the future were, and how difficult they would be to achieve. He had felt the same determination in going after Orochimaru all those years ago, only to be crushed when he realized the friend he thought he had was beyond saving. That was why he had tried to convince Naruto to give up his mission.

Yet, looking into his eyes, he saw that Naruto knew those things as well. Words like "pain" and "reality" seemed to hold no significance with him. They were just obstacles to overcome, enemies to be defeated. Even now, when the consequences of his actions were uncertain, he had made a decision and acted on it without looking back.

Jiraiya shook his head as he took another drink. _Fool indeed…_

"I wonder what changed his mind," he muttered.

Tsunade looked up at Jiraiya questioningly.

"About the Uchiha, I mean," he continued. "In order for him to transfer the seal, he'd had to have gotten close to him. Why didn't he make an attempt to bring him back?"

Tsunade let out a small chuckle. "By himself, while he was in Orochimaru's lair? That would've been suicidal."

"Since when has that stopped him?" Jiraiya turned and glared at his former teammate, catching her off guard slightly. "Do you know what Naruto talked about the entire time we were gone training? "'I have to get Sasuke back…I have to keep my promise to Sakura-chan…I have to do this…I have to do that…' All the time in his life he spent alone has created in him some sort of independency complex. He feels like he has to do everything himself. In his mind, his actions didn't depend on whether it was right or wrong, it was just something he _had _to do. He went where he felt he was _needed, _period. Everything else, in his mind, became secondary."

"That still doesn't excuse criminal behavior," The Hokage said firmly. "He must bear the consequences of--"

"Do you _really _believe that?!" Jiraiya's voice was filled with anger. "Is that what you've labeled him as now?! A criminal?!"

"He went to _Orochimaru, _damn it!" Tsunade shouted, banging her fist on the bar, causing it to crumble in a mass of wood clippings. Other people in the taverns looked up from their drinks in surprise. The Godaime, realizing her outburst, took a moment to compose herself before continuing in a softer voice. "Have you forgotten just who exactly that is? He's a _monster, _driven by nothing but destruction and power. You of all people should know that, Jiraiya. He'll stop at _nothing_ to achieve his goals, just like Naruto. Konoha can't afford that kind of dangerous, cavalier attitude, from enemies _or _allies. Don't _ever_ accuse me of looking down on him like everyone else in this village. Every other person in that council wanted the death penalty. I was lucky enough to manage to convince them otherwise."

The two sannin stared at each other for a moment, saying nothing. Tsunade turned and walked toward the door, slowly shaking her head.

Jiraiya watched her as she left. "You may not view him the same way as the village," he spoke quietly to her back as she stopped at the door. "but everything that's happened has caused you to share one thing…you underestimate him."

Tsunade stood in the doorway hesitantly, then left.

Jiraiya looked at the bartender, who by now lost all the color in his face. The sannin reached into his pocket and handed him some money. "Sorry about the mess," he said as he turned to leave.

* * *

High in the mountains on the edge of Fire Country, a cave stood dug in to the side of a cliff overlooking a deep chasm. A large boulder covered the entrance, masking its existence.

Inside, an assembly of shadows took shape and stood on the fingertips of two giant sculpted stone hands. One of them turned to address the others, his eyes piercing through the darkness.

"There's been a change of plans."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **I apologize for the recent infrequency of updates. The combination of a busier schedule and the curse of writer's block has slowed my production. I can't say that I'll guarantee faster updates, but hopefully that will come naturally as I get deeper into the plot and get a better idea of what direction I want things to go.

I've gotten messages from a few people saying that the site isn't letting them post reviews. I don't know what the cause of this is, but if that's still the case with this chapter or any future chapters, feel free to shoot me a PM. I _do_ read them and take them into account just like any review.

Alright, here's chapter 7. Have a pleasant reading.

* * *

**  
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**Chapter 7**

_He was there again…that place that felt so familiar and yet so alien. His vision was still clouded, but he could hear sounds that he hadn't heard before, particularly the sound of water; he was definitely near some sort of water._

_Then the voice came to him. "Can you understand…?"_

_This time, he was able to speak, to answer the voice. "Understand what? I don't know what you mean."_

_The voice continued. "…Not having a dream…not being needed by anyone…"_

_He tried walking toward the voice. The faint outline of a human figure materialized, but it seemed to remain far away. He began jogging, then running toward the figure as the voice spoke again._

"_Can you understand…?"_

"_What are you trying to say? Please tell me more!"_

"…_the pain of simply living…?"_

Once again Naruto woke to a throbbing pain in his skull. Cursing to himself, he reached for the medication on his dresser that Shizune had diagnosed for him. _I'm starting to get tired of this damn headache. I haven't even molded chakra in a week and I still feel dizzy._

He considered going back to bed, but then he remembered the importance of today. It was his first meeting with Sakura to help her regain her memories. _That's right. I have to be there for Sakura-chan. I might be her only hope for recovery._

House arrest was definitely a new experience. Apart from the occasional visits from his friends and the ANBU guard that stood outside his door twenty-four seven, he had a lot of time to himself. To stave of the ever-threatening boredom, he had cleaned every corner of his apartment. Even then, he couldn't help but feel strange. No more missions, no more training, no more ramen binges in the name of getting stronger. In a way, it felt…liberating. It was a change that he believed was possible to get used to.

After showering and eating breakfast, Naruto heard a knock at his door. He opened it and was mildly surprised to see his former academy instructor standing on the other side. "It's nice to see you're awake this time," Iruka said smiling. "Too much sleep at your age isn't healthy, you know."

Naruto ignored this, but returned the smile as he invited Iruka in. The chuunin sat down on the couch, declining when Naruto offered him something to drink.

"The reason I came," Iruka started, "is that I wanted to talk. I mean, _really_ talk. You're not being interrogated again, and I'm not accusing you of anything. I just want some…understanding, that's all, for my sake, and maybe for yours as well."

Naruto hesitated, reluctant to continue. After a moment, he slowly nodded. _Iruka-sensei has always been a good listener. I at least owe him this much._

Iruka leaned forward in his seat. "I want to know why you felt responsible for Sakura's death."

Naruto shook his head. "It wasn't that I felt responsible for her death, but I did feel like I needed to protect her, to keep her from harm. She needed someone there for her, because…_he_ wasn't." his gaze hardened slightly as he emphasized that word with disdain.

"You mean Sasuke, right?" Iruka asked, though he knew it was obvious.

Naruto nodded.

"But…don't you still want to get him back?"

The blonde looked back at Iruka for a moment, then stood up, walking over to a small desk in a nearby corner. He opened a drawer and lifted out a tattered piece of cloth with a rusted piece of metal attached to it. The metal had the symbol of the Hidden Leaf Village engraved in the center, and a thin gash running through it. Naruto ran his fingers over the metal, before walking back and sitting down.

"The day we first fought—before he left, but after his encounter with Itachi—he told me that I wouldn't be able to put a scratch in this headband. At the Valley of the End, he told me the same thing. When it all came down to the final blow…I could've hit him. I could've knocked him out, and he would've stayed that way until Kakashi found us."

"…But you didn't."

Naruto shook his head. "I caught a glimpse of his face when our chakra collided.

The light his Chidori gave off made it look as clear as day. I could tell that he didn't want to have anything to do with me. He wanted me out of his way. Behind his eyes, he was reserving something for someone else, and I was nothing but a roadblock."

He looked up again at his former teacher, a light smile grazing the corner of his mouth. "When you saved me from Mizuki, you changed what I had thought about others; how I believed they would always hate me and be against me. When I was up there with Sasuke and I scratched his headband. It was the same thing…

…I wanted to show him he was wrong."

Iruka stared at Naruto silently, as the blonde looked down again at the headband he still held in his hand.

"If I had hit him that day, and Kakashi had brought both of us back to Konoha, it wouldn't have changed anything. He would still want revenge against his brother, and maybe even grow to hate us for stopping him. It would only have been a matter of time before he found a way to leave again. That's what I realized when I looked in his eyes. So maybe, if I showed him that what he was wrong about me, then maybe he might start thinking of other things he might be wrong about—like putting revenge and hatred above his friends."

"So when you found him again, had anything changed?"

"That's what I had hoped. The fact that he didn't kill me at the Valley of the End made me believe that something had got to him. But when we were in Orochimaru's hideout, he said all the same things, had all the same beliefs. He even said he didn't kill me on a "whim." Then, he drew his sword to finish what he started, and I knew then…" he clutched the headband tighter in his grasp and turned his face away from it. "…I knew then that he was lost."

He got up again and walked to the desk, opening the drawer and taking one last look at the piece of metal. "Now, this scratch means something else. He's completely separated himself from us. You know how Akatsuki wears their headbands? It's the same thing. He's nothing more than another missing-nin."

With that, Naruto slid the headband back in the drawer and returned to his seat. Even though he had shared thoughts and emotions Iruka never knew about, the chuunin still felt something was missing—something didn't quite add up in his story. The fact that Naruto had stayed his positive self and never gave up, even after that mission involving Sasuke a month ago, made it seem that he was holding back a part he wasn't ready to reveal.

The sound of a knock broke the silence between them. Naruto looked up expectantly, his eyes no longer reflecting the pain he had expressed earlier. "That's probably Sakura. I'm scheduled to help in her memory therapy today."

Iruka nodded as the blonde rose to answer the door, getting up himself and glancing at the desk where Naruto had stored the headband of his former friend. _He may be lost, Naruto, but you're not. I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for, and that you don't give up looking._

* * *

The head of the organization known as Akatsuki stood before his associates, shinobi from all the various hidden villages who were considered some of the most notorious criminals alive. "So…? What sort of change are you talking about?" a young, impatient voice to the right of him asked.

The leader sighed inwardly to himself, ignoring Hidan. _Such audacity, like a petulant child. No wonder his village banished him._ "It seems one of our targets has transferred containers."

"Transferred?" Another voice inquired. "It'd take a strong jutsu to be able to do that…yeah."

"Indeed," the leader answered. "As of yet, it is unknown who the new container is, or how he was able to acquire the demon, but the fact remains, another bijuu is out in the open, no longer under the protection of a hidden village. There is ample opportunity to strike."

"How do you know it's not protected?" A pair of sharp, beady eyes narrowed at the leader. "It could still be under escort."

"The bijuu that was transferred was the nine-tails, the same that you and Itachi failed to retrieve from Uzumaki Naruto three years ago," The leader replied, his voice edged with mild irritation. "Since Konoha would have no reason to perform a risky jutsu to remove it from him, it is logical to conclude that they no longer possess the means to harbor it, and the transfer occurred without their consent."

"Where is it now?" Kisame asked.

"My contact has confirmed it is en route to Kumo in Lightning Country, and will arrive in three days. We are in range to intercept in two. I believe it necessary to send two teams, as one alone has seemed to prove insufficient." He glanced at a man to the left of him, whose glowing red eyes gazed back impassively.

"Deidara, you and Tobi accompany Itachi and Kisame on the mission," the leader continued. "Hopefully your previous success will enhance the performance of the others. As for the rest of you, preparations to seal the gobi will commence after the kyuubi retrieval is complete. You are dismissed."

One by one, the shadows faded back into the darkness. The leader noticed that one had remained. He turned and met the unwavering stare of the red-eyed figure. "Is there something you wanted to say Itachi?" he asked. "It's quite unlike you to stay longer than you are needed."

The Uchiha stood silently for a moment, as if contemplating the answer to his question. "I am concerned about the course of action involving the kyuubi," he said simply, his tone soft and expressionless as usual.

The leader inclined his head curiously. "And what exactly has spurred this concern? Has my assigning additional members to your team offended you in some way?"

"That is irrelevant," Itachi replied. "I am concerned with the idea of handling this mission in such a routine manner. Your description of the situation suggests we are up against more than you have so far revealed."

The leader continued to eye him silently, waiting for him to continue.

"To my knowledge, only three shinobi would have the potential to create a jutsu that transfers seals from one body to another. Two of those shinobi are dead."

"I see any attempt to hide subtleties with you is futile," The leader said, almost admiringly. "Your attention to detail is one of the reasons you are invaluable to this organization. Your concerns, however, are misplaced. The demon fox is too vital a component of our plan to be ignored. It is absolutely essential that Akatsuki bring it under our control, and that we allow no one to stand in our way, not even those accursed sannin. Cautiousness does not become you, Itachi. It certainly wasn't a trait you exhibited in your actions toward your clan. Why resort to it now?"

The glow of Itachi's sharingan seemed to intensify for a fraction of a second, but his demeanor remained unchanged. "I am merely bringing to light the facts of the situation. It has nothing to do with my resolve."

"I'm pleased to hear that," The leader nodded his head slightly. "I trust you will perform your duties to the best of your ability."

Without another word, the Uchiha's shadow dissipated, leaving the leader alone in the cave. _Something about this current state of affairs has definitely piqued his interest. Perhaps I should_ _keep a closer eye on him._

* * *

Iruka left right after Sakura arrived. Upon answering her knock and letting her in, Naruto realized this was the first time she had been in his apartment. She smiled as she took a seat, and for the first time in what seemed like ages, he felt the butterflies he always got in his stomach when he saw her. She became for a moment the Sakura he had always known and loved. Then reality dawned on him and the feeling faded. Its memory, however, was one that he was inclined to let linger, much unlike the last few memories he had cast into the far recesses of his mind.

In order to help Sakura in regaining her memory, Naruto brought out a shoebox of pictures, and the two began looking through them. Sakura came to one showing four figures standing in an outdoor scene. "What's this one?" she asked Naruto.

Naruto looked over at the photo in her hand. "That's Team 7," he said, unable to keep the sadness out of his voice. Sakura noticed this, and sighed inwardly as she continued to study the picture. _Even though he's trying to help me remember the past, it seems like there's a big part he's trying to forget._

"I recognize him," she pointed to the silver-haired jounin standing behind the other three. "He was the one who came with you when you visited me in the hospital. You said he was our sensei, right?"

"That's right."

"And there's me, and you, and…" she frowned and moved the picture closer to her face. "Did you have a black eye? Where'd you get that from?"

At this, Naruto chuckled, resting the back of his head on his hand. "Actually, that was from you."

Sakura's eyes widened. "What? Why would I do that?"

Naruto smiled thoughtfully. _She used to love hitting me, now she doesn't like the fact that she did. What will she think when she's the old Sakura again, and remembers everything?_

"Well, you were talking to Sasuke, and I was spying on you from a tree branch. Unfortunately for me, it snapped, and I fell right in the middle of you guys. Needless to say, you got angry, and…" He made a motion of a fist coming towards his eye.

Sakura tried to suppress a laugh, but it came out as a snort. She shook her head and smiled at Naruto. "I don't know if it means anything now, but I'm sorry,"

"Oh no, that was a long time ago. Besides, I deserved it. I mean, I got in the way and you really liked…"

His voice trailed off as his smile faded, replaced by that same look of sadness he had when Sakura first showed him the picture. She looked back at the fourth figure, a dark-haired boy who was the only one in the picture not smiling. "Is that Sasuke?"

Naruto glanced at the picture, nodded, and looked away again.

"Is he…here?"

"No," Naruto answered. He didn't feel like going on, but Sakura continued to stare at him expectantly. _She needs to know. It's part of her past, after all._

He stood up and looked out his apartment window. "Remember when I told you that I went to an enemy shinobi to have you revived?"

"Yes," Sakura said slowly. _Is this what he was so hesitant about telling me?_

"Sasuke's entire clan was killed by his brother, and in order to gain power to kill his brother and avenge their deaths, he went to that same shinobi and has been training under him for the last two and a half years."

"Were you and I and him…friends?"

Naruto nodded. "We were, but…he needed revenge more than he needed us. It got to a point where we were just in the way." He paused and looked back at Sakura. "You wanted him to be…more than a friend though, and took it particularly hard when he left."

"And what about you?"

Naruto turned to the window again. "Me? I went after him. Sure, I wanted him to come back, but…I had made a promise with you that I would bring him back. I never was able to keep it, though." He sat down, still gazing outside. "I couldn't keep a lot of things…"

He sat back down on his couch and ran fingers through his disheveled hair. His expression was stoic, but not enough to disguise the pain that still lingered in his eyes.

Sakura walked over and put her hand on his knee. "Naruto, I…I didn't mean to bring that stuff up for you again. It must not feel very nice to open up those old wounds."

Naruto looked up at her and smiled, with no pretense behind it. Her words, the mere sound of her voice, had seemed to brighten his demeanor. "I'm fine, Sakura-chan. We're here to get your memory back, right? This is for your sake, not mine. This stuff was important to you in the past, so it should still be important now. And sometimes…it's best not to forget certain things, even if they make you sad."

"Ok…" Sakura removed her hand from his knee, although Naruto thought she seemed somewhat hesitant to do so. "You sure you're fine?"

"Definitely. Now where were we with these pictures? Oh yeah, lemme show you some that Jiraiya—er, wait no, not those. Here's some pictures of us at Tsunade-sama's Hokage inauguration ceremony…"

As they resumed looking, Sakura tried her hardest to recognize the many places and faces she viewed, but to no avail. However, she found that she wasn't getting discouraged. Something about being around Naruto kept her from losing hope. _Even though this is all I have for now…it's enough._

* * *

Night had fallen on the mountains in Fire country, the only light coming from the moon as it reflected off the fresh blanket of snow. The stillness and silence masked the movement of four shadows across the rocky terrain.

"So, that blonde-haired loudmouth doesn't have the bijuu anymore?" Deidara drawled. "That's too bad. I was looking forward to blowing him up…yeah."

"Hey Deidara-san," Tobi spoke up. "That reminds me, wasn't he the one you were fighting when you blew off your--"

"Shut up, you idiot." Deidara cut him off sharply. "You won't mention that ever again if you know what's good for you…yeah."

The figure in the front turned his head slightly to address the other three. "You will await my orders before you engage the enemy. Moving and attacking too hastily will only hinder us." He looked at the tall, blue-skinned shinobi to the right of him, lowering his voice. "Kisame, keep your guard up."

The former resident of Kiri narrowed his eyes questioningly at Itachi.

"I sense something…inconvenient will occur on this mission."

Kisame nodded, adjusting his forehead protector. The group continued their descent to the valley, crossing the border of Fire Country into Rice Field Country. Lightning Country was still a day ahead, but they were positioned to intercept before the bijuu made it there. They traveled through the night, until the first rays of sunlight peeked over the mountains behind them.

As the four made their way through a dense, grassy meadow, Itachi suddenly raised a hand, signaling them to stop. The only sounds came from the morning songs of nearby birds, and a light wind which rustled the tall grass around them. The Uchiha stood nonchalantly, unbuttoning the top of his cloak. "Show yourselves. It is pointless to hide any longer," he called out.

A figure emerged from the grass in front of them. Instantly, the three shinobi in back of Itachi crouched into attack position. Kisame reached back and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, Samehada.

Harsh laughter came from the figure as he raised his head, grinning at the Akatuki. "And here you expected to set up an ambush. It must have been disheartening when you realized we were already waiting for you."

Itachi gazed uninterestedly at him. "Orochimaru. It's been awhile; ever since you defected, I believe. I've always wondered why you left so shortly after I joined."

The sannin continued grinning, his eyes narrowed menacingly. "Unfortunately, I'm not here for an interview. I'm here to provide you with what you are seeking. The nine-tailed fox, am I right?"

"How considerate of you," Kisame sneered behind his partner. "So are we to expect that you're just going to hand the jinchuuriki over out of the goodness of your own heart?"

Orochimaru's grin widened as he laughed again. "Ku, ku, ku…well Hoshigake-san, that matter I will leave up to him."

He took a step to the side, revealing another figure behind him. Underneath his tousled raven-colored hair, a pair of red eyes passed over the four shinobi, before resting on the similar eyes of the one in front. Itachi's expression was stony as he looked back at his brother with cold indifference. Narrowing his eyes, the younger Uchiha parted his lips and emitted a low growl through his clenched teeth. Kisame cocked his head in surprise. _He isn't even speaking any words this time. He sounds almost…inhuman._

Orochimaru took a step back, clearing more space between Sasuke and the Akatsuki. "I feel most privileged to be able to witness this family reunion. However, being that we have a schedule to keep, I'm afraid our time is short." He turned to the former Konoha genin. "You may begin at your discretion."

Sasuke's sharingan flashed, and fiery markings spread from his neck to the rest of his body before coming to rest and turning black. Crouching slightly, his mouth widened into a sinister, fox-like grin, his gaze never leaving his older brother.

Itachi continued to stare unphased. _Little brother…are you still so foolish…?_


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Well, I suppose many of you have forgotten about this little fic by now, and rightfully so, since I haven't updated in ages. However, I did not (or at least tried to not) forget about it, so I managed to get this chapter out for all those who are interested. I would have had it out a few days ago, but was having some issues. Needless to say I was unhappy during that time span.

Before I begin, I think it would do to post an FAQ section, which will address the questions and concerns I have been receiving in reviews. I realize I have responded to many of you personally already, but many of the questions/concerns I have received have been asked/shared by more than one person, which leads me to believe there is some amount of general clarification I need to make on these points in order to clear up confusion. Also, I'll try to answer some questions that may not have been voiced, but possibly thought by readers. Here they are, in no particular order:

Oh, by the way, if this section does not interest you in any way, feel free to skip it and go on to the chapter.

**Q: Where the &$# have you been all this time!?**

A: Busy, with other matters that required my attention. Also, now that I am deeper into the story and the preliminary setup stage for the plot is all but complete, the chapters will naturally take a little longer to complete.

**Q: Who were the two ninja that Naruto used for the sacrifice in Chapter 1?**

A: The same two ninja he incapacitated at the entrance to Orochimaru's lair: Yosuke and Taro. Also, being that Naruto was only bringing one person back to life, he only needed one sacrifice. That's why he told Orochimaru to "take your pick" out of the two ninjas outside. As to which one was chosen, well…it doesn't really matter. You can figure that one out on your own. 

**Q: What exactly was the technique Orochimaru used to revive Sakura?**

A: As some of you might recall, we have seen two "reviving" techniques used so far in the manga: One being the _Edo Tensei_, the technique Orochimaru used to revive the First and Second Hokages, the second being what was only described as a _tensei_ (life transfer) ninjutsu, which was used by Chiyo to resurrect Gaara. In the _Edo Tensei, _two sacrifices are required to act as mediums for the spirits (or souls, depending on your metaphysical preference) to inhabit. The medium takes on the appearance of the person the spirit originally inhabited, and their original abilities are also restored. In Chiyo's jutsu, she transfers her "life force" into another person, effectively bringing them back to life. In the technique Orochimaru used to revive Sakura, he required a sacrifice, but it was not used as a body medium like the sacrifice for _Edo Tensei _wasSo in this sense, it is closer to Chiyo's jutsu. However, he did not transfer his own "life force" into Sakura either, as he did not die after performing it.

So I suppose the best explanation would be that this is a new "Tensei-type" jutsu developed specifically by Orochimaru. Given his intelligence and background in jutsu experimentation, it would definitely be a reasonable idea. So why is Sakura's memory gone? Well, that's what happens with experimentation. A high-level jutsu like a _tensei_ would probably be ultra-hard to come up with, even for someone like Orochimaru (Chiyo spent a large part of her life trying to develop it, and in the end she was the only one who learned it). The memory loss is just a side effect from the imperfect jutsu. It would be like completely revamping and restoring a car, but wiring it wrong so the headlights don't work. The car would still function, but not as well in certain cases.

**Q: Why is Naruto suffering from chakra withdrawl? I thought he still has a lot of his own chakra.**

A: And indeed he does…twice that of Kakashi, according to the manga. However, he did _lose_ _access to_ a substantial amount of chakra, and because his body has gotten used to both his own chakra and the kyuubi chakra, his mind tricks him into feeling the effects of withdrawal. Here's an analogy I used with a few reviewers who asked this question: If you take a baseball bat and add one of those donut weights to it, it becomes heavier. When you take the weight off after holding it for a while, the bat feels lighter. The weight of the bat itself hasn't changed, but since you removed a large amount of weight (the donut weight), your body reacts differently to the weight of just the bat.

Once Naruto's body gets used to having just his normal chakra again, he'll be fine. In essence, he's not _actually_ suffering from chakra withdrawal, he only _thinks_ he is.

**Q: Why wasn't Naruto given the death sentence for his actions?**

A: The short, easy answer: because I wouldn't have much of a story if he was. The longer, more convoluted answer: because Tsunade pleaded with the council not to do it, even though she herself was disappointed in him. The reason why he wasn't put in prison was because there are probably a lot of ninja there who know who he is. Perhaps some of them were put there in the first place because they tried to attack him at some point in his life (Mizuki, for example). Overall it just wouldn't be a good place for a young genin who has made enemies in his own village.

**Q: How is Sasuke actually able to interact with the kyuubi?**

A: This question has multiple ways to approach it, but I won't go into very much detail because it is still a major developing plotline in my story. I will tell you that he is able to use kyuubi's chakra at will. This was realized by Orochimaru and Kabuto after Sasuke slaughtered Yoroi. More will be revealed about this in due time…

**Q: How long do you intend to make this story?**

A: I am unsure as to the length, so I won't give any exact estimates, but all plotlines will resolve in some way. If I absolutely had to give a ballpark estimate, I'd say—optimistically, I'm about a third of the way through. Pessimistically—about half way through. Somewhere between those values is probably the most accurate, but then again, I've never been good at estimations.

I hope this has been a help to all of you, either for clarification reasons, or just to get caught up with the story because I haven't posted in a while. If I didn't get to a question that you posted in a review, it's either because I forgot about it (hopefully not), or because the answer will be revealed in later chapters.

That's all from me for now. Thanks again for all the reviews for last chapter…there were quite a few of them; at least, compared to what I usually get. Anyway, on with the  
chapter…

* * *

**Chapter 8**

The four members of the organization known as Akatsuki stood guardedly, facing the raven-haired boy and his master. Two other figures had now appeared beside them. One Itachi recognized as Kabuto, a man about his own age and follower of Orochimaru since the sannin's days in Akatsuki. The second was a short figure in a long, dark brown cloak with a hood draped over its face, completely hiding its features. It was obviously a child, and seemed—Itachi surmised—to pose no threat.

The breeze continued to sway the grass hypnotically, neither picking up nor diminishing in intensity. The birds had ceased their songs, as though they sensed some sort of impending doom. Though it was a mild, sunny spring morning, the temperature around them had seemed to drop several degrees, and the sun's glow was not as bright as it usually was. Sasuke continued to bare his fang-like teeth at his opponents, and the pupils in his eyes had narrowed to slits, resembling a feral animal.

Deidara laughed roughly, still standing in back of the elder Uchiha. "So this is the new jinchuuriki? He sort of looks like you, Itachi-san…yeah."

"He is…my brother," Itachi said rather reluctantly, "although I grow tired of referring to him as such. He is most definitely a disgrace to the Uchiha name, unworthy even of an honorable shinobi death."

Tobi gazed through his mask at the crouched figure of the boy, inclining his head in recognition. "Ah. So he's the one you left alive." he mused, a thoughtful tone to his voice. "He must feel quite bitter toward you."

"It is of little consequence," Itachi replied. "His weakness is still apparent. He is no stronger than he was six years ago, on his knees and weeping like an infant."

"…_Shut…up!"_

In an instant, Sasuke's voice erupted into a roar as his feet left the ground. He bounded toward them on all four limbs, taking a mere second to cover the ground between him and his brother. The sword Kusanagi appearing his hand, Sasuke moved to slash at the elder Uchiha, only to be met by three figures that appeared in front of him, blocking his path. Sasuke's sword met Kisame's in a metallic clang, just as Tobi's fist came barreling at him out of the corner of his eye.

The masked man's attack passed only through air, however. He had only begun to recover when the thin blade of Kusanagi advanced on him from behind. The sword connected, but only with the cloth of Tobi's sleeve. The Akatsuki member had rolled to evade, barely saving his arm from amputation.

Leaping to his feet, three kunai emerged from Tobi's other sleeve. He flung them at the Uchiha, but Sasuke grabbed them with a quick wave of his hand and sent them back toward Tobi. The masked Akatsuki member jumped clear of their path, but failed to notice three more kunai hidden behind the first. The knives punctured Tobi's chest, but his figure dispersed into smoke. The real Tobi remained hidden from view, observing the fight.

_Incredible…he seems to have mastered the sharingan even though he's barely tapping into any of the kyuubi's chakra. Though I suppose that's to be expected from an Uchiha._

Sasuke turned again to face the blue-skinned man, still wielding Samehada. Forming hand seals, Kisame bellowed, "_Suiton: kousen houshutsu_!" and slammed his sword into the ground. A large crack streaked across the ground under Sasuke's feet, and a jet of high-speed water shot out of the crack. The Uchiha jumped clear of the blast, only to have the crack continue to form around him. He soon found himself encircled by a wall of water, a thick mist hovering in the air as the moisture cascaded back down.

Sasuke shifted his eyes, grunting in irritation at his surroundings. Suddenly, Kisame's looming form burst through the wall behind him and moved to strike, but the Uchiha had already seen him coming.

In a movement untrackable by the human eye, Sasuke swung Kusanagi across the former Kiri shinobi's neck. Upon impact, Kisame dissolved into a puddle of water, and three more Kisames emerged from the wall in the same instant.

Sasuke continued to easily fend off the clones, his movements fluid and timed, as though he had rehearsed for a choreographed play. Kisame's attacks failed to reach even within an inch of his body, and they served only to further annoy the Uchiha. _I don't have time for this shit…_

Inhaling in a deep breath, Sasuke discharged from his mouth a fireball the size of a house. The wall of water and all remaining Kisame clones evaporated away instantly, and the meadow became engulfed in a thick smoke. The real Kisame jumped back from the inferno and squinted amidst it. He only narrowly had the time to move his sword to block as Sasuke broke through the smoke, striking with Kusanagi and glaring threateningly at him.

Orochimaru's scratchy cackle sounded through the heavy air. "Your efforts are useless. You were no match for the sharingan, but now that Sasuke-kun is the most powerful jinchuuriki on earth, your attempts to fight him are utterly laughable."

Sasuke continued to bear his sword down on Kisame's, causing the bigger man to strain against the weight. The Akatsuki member's eyes widened in a rare moment of surprise. _His strength is…unbelievable…I can't hold him back…_

Sasuke, observing his reaction, smiled evily. Kisame stared into his thin, elongated pupils surrounded by the three tomoes. Then, the blue-skinned man's mouth turned up in a smile of his own.

The Uchiha had apparently failed to notice the large clay spider creeping near his feet.

Focusing chakra to his feet, Kisame leaped into the air, clearing space between him and Sasuke. A split second later, a loud explosion shook the ground where the jinchuuriki once stood. Kisame frowned as he saw a figure clear the cloud of displaced dirt, landing safely on the other side of the crater created by the blast. Rising from his knees, Sasuke became enveloped in a large shadow in the shape of a bird.

"My turn…yeah." A voice came from above them.

Looking up, Sasuke quickly dodged the small clay creatures which swooped down on him. The explosions continued to rock the earth around him, but the former Konoha genin remained unscathed.

Suddenly, the ground opened in front of his feet, and a black blur shot out of the hole that was formed. Sasuke's attention had been focused upward, and he didn't seem to notice Tobi's attack from below.

But the Uchiha's hand had already grabbed the Akatsuki member's wrist as it came inches from his jaw. In one motion, Sasuke twisted Tobi's arm, breaking it, and threw him to the ground, the point of Kusanagi already coming at his chest in Sasuke's other hand.

The sword pierced through the black and red cloak, but only at the shoulder. Tobi had managed to shift his body in the last second, and the sword missed hitting a vital point. As Sasuke glared down at him, Tobi caught sight of something hanging around the Uchiha's neck, glinting in the sunlight.

_Is…is that…?_

Deidara watched this all from the air. _That jinchuuriki is quick…he nearly killed Tobi in just that—shi-! _

Deidara's thoughts were interrupted as Kusanagi streaked toward him, thrown by its wielder. The sword effortlessly sliced through his winged mount, and caught the end of his own arm. The bird tumbled back to earth as Deidara managed to roll off before it hit, minimizing the impact. The explosives specialist glared up at the younger Uchiha, casually standing a few meters in front of him. _What the hell…? I didn't even see him take the sword out of Tobi's shoulder!_

Sasuke was instantly at Deidara's side, grabbing his neck and lifting him a foot into the air. "Don't get in my way," he said coldly. "Those who do will be punished. In fact, I'll let you serve as an example to the others here."

The jinchuuriki squeezed the Akatsuki member's neck as Deidara wrapped his own hands around his, struggling to breathe. However, there was a pleasured glint in his eye as he began croaking out words.

"_That's…what…you…think…bastard_."

Deidara formed the ram seal, and large snake-like strands of clay rose from the ground and wrapped themselves around Sasuke's body. In his surprise, he loosened his grip on Deidara's neck, allowing the blonde to distance himself from the Uchiha.

"Haven't you learned it's never wise to insult art?" Deidara sneered. He formed the tiger seal and gazed admiringly at the bound shinobi. "I think I'll call it, "Sculpture #19: The fruitless struggle…yeah. _Katsu!_"

The ground erupted violently as bits of dirt and debris were thrown into the air. This time, no one jumped clear of it. Deidara turned and faced Kisame, laughing boastfully. "_That's_ how it's done, Kisame-san. I hope you were taking notes."

The blue-skinned shinobi glared, but his eyes suddenly widened as he stared past his fellow member. Deidara turned back around and his expression soon mirrored Kisame's.

The dirt cloud had dissipated and two large gargoyle-like wings became visible. They had wrapped themselves in a cocoon, protecting whatever lay inside. The wings unfolded, revealing a figure with a dark grey body and long, ash grey hair. His eyes were still the same red and black, but they now seemed sharper, more evil. Sasuke gazed back at them in cold malevolence. The blast had seemingly not affected him at all.

Itachi, still standing at a distance, inclined his head in curiosity. "So this is the result of your experiments?" he said, addressing Orochimaru across the meadow. "It's not very surprising, I suppose. Turning your followers into mindless creatures to do your bidding seems very becoming of you."

Deidara continued to stare in shock, but Kisame's face darkened as he gritted his sharp teeth. _This brat…thinking he could come here and show us up…he's still just a weak little parasite, just like Itachi-san said. I'm through with this…I'll finish him off now!_

Kisame drew Samehada and charged at the transformed Uchiha. Reeling back his arms, he swung the giant sword to connect with Sasuke's skull.

But his momentum immediately ceased as Sasuke blocked the incoming sword.

With his hand.

Kisame watched in horror as Sasuke gripped Samehada's prickly blade. Dark red blood began to pour from his palm, but he showed no sign of pain. Instead, his eyes narrowed as his body shook in anger.

With a loud roar, Sasuke thrust his arm forward, sending Samehada and Kisame reeling back several feet into the air. The shinobi swordsman landed awkwardly on the ground, still recovering from what he had just seen. Deidara, still standing at a distance, never took his eyes off the Uchiha, who had crouched to all fours and started growling ferociously. The hand that had been covered in blood quickly healed, appearing as though it had never been wounded.

Sasuke's body suddenly ignited as a cloud of jet black chakra surrounded him, forming behind him what appeared to be a tail.

_Shit! He's begun transforming! _"Kisame-san, do you think we should retr--"

"Shut up, coward! Are you going to let this _boy_ make a fool of you? Attack him, _now!_"

Deidara hastily reached into his bag of clay, but Sasuke's hand shot out, extending a chakra-claw which enclosed itself around Deidara's waist. With his wings outstretched, Sasuke took off into the air, still holding onto the blonde Akatsuki member, who struggled helplessly against his bindings, drops of sweat trickling down his temples. _I can't…free my arm from the bag! The mouth is going to gorge itself on the clay!_

When they had reached a substantial height above the ground, Sasuke looked down at his captive, grinning ruthlessly. "So you like explosives? I suppose you'll enjoy seeing things from a bomb's perspective for once."

The Uchiha lifted the chakra-claw that held Deidara, whose wrist was now bulging considerably. With one swift motion, Sasuke swung his arm downward, sending Deidara hurtling toward the earth at meteor-like speed.

Deidara stared transfixed in terror at the fast-approaching ground. _N-no…__If my wrist breaks, all the chakra will release and—_

The Akatsuki member hit the ground in a bone-crushing thud. Another loud explosion erupted simultaneously in the same spot, creating a bigger crater that surrounded the one made by Deidara's body.

Sasuke landed amidst the dirt which still hovered in the air. He approached the epicenter of the crater where Deidara lay, his arm disintegrated and blood soaking through his tattered cloak.

"Ku, ku ku…I have to say that was amusing, the way you blew yourself up. I see this isn't the first time either, judging from those stitches sticking out of your shoulder. I pretty much had my work done for me, but I _did_ tell you I'd let you serve as an example, so…"

He raised his arm and a column of lightning flashed into existence around it. Grinning again at his opponent, The Uchiha thrust his arm downward like a sword.

Deidara screamed, but the sound was muffled by the blood that had welled up inside his throat, and it came out as a weak moan. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, and his muscles went slack.

Sasuke sat up slowly from the now motionless Akatsuki member. He turned his head and stared viciously at his older brother, who had been watching everything casually from a distance. This time, Sasuke merely walked toward him, never taking his sharingan eyes off his.

The younger Uchiha raised his arm and Kusanagi flew into his hand from where it had laid in the grass. Still walking toward his brother, he brought the sword up to block Kisame's attack with Samehada. "_Chidori nagashi!"_

The electricity coursing through Sasuke's body extended through Kusanagi into Kisame's sword, causing the blue-skinned shinobi to be blown back by its power. He landed on his back, unable to move.

The distance between brothers lessened as Sasuke's eyes became more narrowed. His lips slowly parted as he barred his fang-like teeth. Raising his arm, Sasuke enclosed a chakra-claw around Itachi's body. The elder Uchiha remained standing, still as a statue.

The anger continued to boil within Sasuke. His breathing became more defined and a toothy grin spread across his face. _This is it...the time for my vengeance has come…_

"It's over, brother," Sasuke growled.

To his surprise, Itachi nodded. "Yes, it is…for now."

The elder Uchiha's sharingan suddenly began spinning rapidly. A new design formed around his pupil, and the once-prominent sunlight faded away into darkness. The winds ceased, and the grass surrounding them became a pale white. Sasuke looked around in confusion. His chakra-claw had disappeared, and he was no longer in his second level curse seal form. In fact, he was in his 12-year-old body, and it seemed that all power had had been drained from him.

_No…how is this possible…? How can he…?_

"After all this time, you still have failed to listen, little brother," Itachi spoke, his voice coming from all directions, even though he was standing right in front of him. "Didn't I tell you to run away, and cling to life? No matter how long you chase me, no matter how many new jutsus you learn, your power still pales under the gaze of these eyes."

Sasuke fought desperately against the overwhelming sense of fear that threatened to take hold of him. However, the _tsukyomi_ genjutsu tightened its hold, and Sasuke's body began to tremble uncontrollably.

"You may no longer be weak, and you may no longer lack the anger you once did, but as long as you continue to toy with power that is not your own and foolishly squander your life, my gift to you, then you will remain as helpless as you were before."

The younger Uchiha fell to his knees, grasping his head in agony. He no longer had the strength to even stand. His brother continued to loom over him, casting his black shadow over the pale grass where Sasuke knelt.

_This is…not…happening…not again…!_

Rearing back his head, Sasuke let out a blood-chilling howl. The anger, frustration, and helplessness gnawed relentlessly at his mind, threatening to consume him. Somehow through the chaos, his brother's voice echoed as clear as crystal.

"I know you will never give up your futile quest, but allow me to warn you anyway. My patience with you is running thin, and if we ever cross paths again, I shall finish what I started six years ago. Mark that well, little brother."

Sasuke lifted his head with great effort, glaring ragingly at his brother. "_No…NO! It's you who should--"_

He was cut off as another wave of pain assaulted him, causing him to fall back onto his side. The world Itachi had created closed in around him, as though he were in a room with moving walls. The pressure inside his head reached maddening levels.

An instant later, everything subsided.

Sasuke's vision cleared. Feeling his strength return, he slowly lifted himself back up to his knees and looked around. The sun had returned to its normal brightness, and the grass to its original deep green color. The trauma that had assaulted him earlier was gone, but—he noticed as he looked down at his still-trembling hand—his mind and his body definitely remembered experiencing it.

That place…he had sworn to himself that he would never return to that place again. There, he had as much control as a fly in a spider's web, flailing and struggling until death eventually claimed him. Such weakness had defined his existence for far too long, and before now, he thought he had finally escaped it. But once again, he was wrong.

Sasuke's jaw clenched tightly. _Never again..._

Rising to his feet, he turned his head in all directions. He caught sight of Orochimaru standing a few feet away, a disgusted expression on his face.

"Where is he!?" Sasuke demanded angrily.

The sannin shook his head, frowning at his protégé. "While you were lying down, Itachi and the other Akatsuki members took the opportunity to escape. It would be impossible to track where they are now."

Sasuke's eyes widened. "What!? You mean he got away!?"

"It would appear so, yes."

"Well then, _find him!"_

Again, Orochimaru shook his head. "As I said before, tracking them now would prove useless. We must continue on our original heading to Kumo."

Sasuke turned and started pacing tensely. His breathing became heavier as the anger boiled inside him. "He was…He was right _there…_I _had_ him…h-how…how could he have just…_run away!?"_

Kabuto spoke up quietly behind Orochimaru. "It seems we were a bit too hasty. Even though the rest of Akatsuki posed no threat, we have obviously once again underestimated Itachi."

"_NO!"_ Sasuke whirled around to face the medic-nin, who took a step back warily. The Uchiha's eyes were burning with the feral sharingan as his fangs glinted in the sunlight. "I _will_ kill him! I _will _have my vengeance, and _no one will stop me!"_

A black mass started to form around his chest and arms. The dark chakra covered his entire body and began extending behind him in the form of tails. A deep growl rumbled in the Uchiha's throat as he bent down, placing all four limbs on the ground.

Orochimaru turned silently to Kabuto, who nodded to the hooded figure beside him. The figure stepped forward and slammed a pale hand into the ground.

Sasuke reeled back and grunted in pain. As quickly has it had spread, the chakra began receding from Sasuke's body until it disappeared entirely, leaving the Uchiha panting helplessly on the ground. The crystal that hung around his neck glowed brightly, and when the child lifted its hand from the ground, it returned to normal.

Kabuto smiled and patted the child softly on the shoulder. "Good work, Hinoki. I see your powers are developing quite nicely."

The child turned and faced the medic-nin, then walked back and stood at his side, head lowered and saying nothing.

Orochimaru spoke again. "Now then, let us continue our journey to Kumo. I believe we have wasted enough time already." He looked over at Sasuke, who was starting to rise to his feet. "Now, now, Sasuke-kun, have you forgotten already? You are the jinchuuriki of the nine-tailed fox, the primary target of Akatsuki. They will not let the one little miscalculation that happened today deter their plans. You will not have to search for them; they will come to you, and if Itachi is not with them, they will surely lead you to him. I assure you, you and your brother will meet again."

Sasuke stood and pondered his words. Finally, he nodded and began walking in the same direction as the others. Kabuto approached his master and addressed him quietly. "Despite Sasuke's failure to eliminate all of them, his first real battle did show some promise."

"Indeed," Orochimaru agreed. "All of his opponents, minus Itachi, seemed to have no answer for him. Although I am intrigued by that masked individual, Tobi, was it? He appears to be a recent addition, most likely replacing the late Sasori. It looked as though he was the only one who could remotely sense Sasuke's attacks coming. Regardless, Sasuke will not let them slip out of his hands a second time."

"But should there even be a second time?" Kabuto asked. "How can we be sure Itachi will not use _tsukyomi_ again? Sasuke appeared not to take it very well. Perhaps we should—"

"It won't happen again," Sasuke spoke behind them.

Kabuto and Orochimaru turned, mildly surprised he had heard them from that distance. The Uchiha's features had hardened, and the ever-present scowl had returned to his eyes, which once again glowed with the sharingan.

"The next time we meet, Itachi will die by my hand. That is for certain."

He did not speak out of hope or in an attempt to encourage himself. His tone had seemed to render the words as brute fact.

Orochimaru smiled. "Put your fears to rest, Kabuto. Sasuke-kun has given us his word."

Kabuto hesitated briefly, then nodded and continued walking, the child in the cloak at his side. Sasuke followed a few feet behind them. As the sannin and his associates left the meadow, the Uchiha turned his head and looked back at the now-silent landscape. For a moment, his sharingan eyes flashed, revealing a feral gaze. He then turned back and continued to follow the others north to Kumo.

* * *

List of original japanese terms and phrases (anything that doesn't show up in Naruto anime or manga):

_kousen houshutsu_--underground spring release

Tomoes are those little comma-shaped things that surround the pupils of a sharingan user. The number of them denote the ability level that the sharingan possess, three being the highest.

One last note: I have begun writing chapter nine, so it may come sooner than the last one, but I can't make any promises :). Until then...


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"…_Can you understand…?"_

_The voice seemed much clearer now. He could pinpoint the exact location it was coming from. He could also see a little better. He appeared to be on some sort of long walkway which stretched for several yards. A path, perhaps? Maybe that was why he could hear water…there must be a creek or a river nearby. But where was this place, exactly?_

"…_Not being needed…"_

_He peered through the distorted scenery and again made out the outline of the figure. He ran toward it, with more purpose this time. Still, he seemed to not cover much ground, as the figure remained at a distance. Slowly, however, he approached the source of the voice, and the figure became closer._

"_Tell me what you're saying!" He called out, more firmly than he had before._

"…_The most painful thing…"_

"_What!? What is the most painful thing!?" He was yelling in anger now, still getting closer to the boy. He was now within arm's reach, but the fog (was that what it was?) became heavier, completely masking the boy's features. Reaching out, he grabbed the boy's shoulders, and pulled…_

Naruto bolted upright out of his bed, only to be met with increased pressure to his temples. He closed his eyes and groaned in frustration as he swung his legs onto the floor. _It was just another dream. Why are they affecting me so much?_

He showered and ate breakfast. In the middle of washing the dishes he heard a knock at the door. _Who could that be? I'm not expecting Sakura-chan today…_

Opening the door, he was met by a tall, burly man with long white hair. "Hey, Naruto! Good to see you up and about!" Jiraiya flashed a grin as he invited himself in.

Naruto yawned lazily. "Oh. 'Morning, Jiraiya-sama." He said as he walked back to the kitchen. _And good to see you use the door for once, and not a giant toad._

The sannin stopped, frowned for a second, then smiled again. "What? No ero-sennin?" He said jokingly. "Well, I mean…not that I mind, of course…" he added, somewhat unconvincingly.

Sitting down on the couch, Jiraiya moved a finger absently over an adjacent end-table and gazed at it. "Wow, so you really cleaned up the place, eh? I must say, I'm impressed. Seems you've had a lot of free time on your hands."

Naruto had finished washing the dishes and was drying his hands with a towel. "Seems like you do too, seeing as you've come to visit and make small talk."

The sannin picked up on the hint. "Alright, you want to know why I'm really here? Well, it turns out that talks with the council have continued even after your trial. Apparently they're at a loss as to what to do with you…"

"Since they didn't kill me?"

Jiraiya ignored him and continued. "Now that you're no longer a ninja, you have no source of income. The council—being the arrogant penny-pinchers they are (he added under his breath)—refuse to put you on any sort of welfare program. However, they have agreed to allow you to seek employment. Although your choices will be limited—you still won't be allowed to leave the village and your house arrest sentence still applies when you aren't working—you'll still be able to provide for yourself."

Although he was listening politely, there was little change in Naruto's expression. It wasn't quite the reaction Jiraiya had been hoping for.

"And that's not all," he continued. "I talked to old man Teuchi down at Ichiraku Ramen, and he said he'd be happy to give you a job, since you've been such a loyal customer all these years. It wouldn't be much…you'd probably start as a dish washer, but you'd be working at your favorite restaurant. You can start as early as tomorrow."

Naruto was silent for a moment as he took in this information. Finally, he looked back up at the sannin. "That sounds great. Thanks for looking into this, Jiraiya-sama."

The blonde smiled, but it didn't satisfy the older man. This wasn't the classic Naruto smile he had seen and gotten used to. It seemed…empty.

As Naruto got up to walk back to his room, he heard Jiraiya's voice behind him. "Dammit, Naruto, what's wrong with you? You got Sakura back, you escaped from Orochimaru alive, and you don't have to deal with the demon anymore. Why are you acting so different?"

He turned and saw the sannin frowning at him, a mixture of irritation and confusion on his face. "Is this about being decommissioned? Surely you knew there would be consequences for your actions. You're dense at times, but you're not stupid."

Despite his former mentor's obvious frustration, Naruto sat back down and spoke calmly. "No, Jiraiya-sama. For the first time in my life, there's _nothing _wrong. I'm free from all of that crap I had to put up with for being a shinobi, and being the kyuubi container, even trying to get Sakura-chan to…" he paused and shook his head, sighing softly. "All that stuff is in the past now. Hopefully, over time people will forget that I ever was a ninja, and I can live a normal life. I am grateful for all your help, Jiraiya-sama—really, I am, but it's time that I moved on."

_Stop calling me Jiraiya-sama! It's…not right!_ He yelled inwardly. He remained composed outwardly, however, finally nodding in resignation. "Alright, if you say so. I suppose I just have to get used to this change, too." He got up and walked to the door. "I have to go to a meeting with the Hokage, but I'll let Teuchi know you've accepted his offer."

Naruto nodded in reply as the sannin opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. He stood for a moment in hesitation, then spoke with his back still turned to his former student. "What you want to do with your life is your choice, Naruto. I think you deserve that after all the decisions that have been made for you in the past. But in the two and a half years that I trained you, one thing always seemed clear, until now…"

He sensed no movement behind him, but he knew Naruto was there listening, even if he did not react to his words. Jiraiya couldn't help but smile sadly as he continued.

"…I never got the impression that the 'normal life' suited you."

* * *

A soft snow fell in the mountains of Fire Country. The stillness in the air served to further mask the presence of the shinobi in a large cave carved out of the rock on the side of a steep cliff, its entrance covered by a massive boulder. There, the leader of the Akatsuki organization stood and waited. He was alone except for one other; a woman with long hair and a single flower resting just above her ear, wearing the same cloak adorned with red clouds. 

"Zetsu should be arriving any time now with the report," the leader spoke.

The woman nodded in acknowledgement, but remained silent.

"You're probably wondering why I called you here alone," he continued. "It's because I have a mission for you. It will be a solo mission, one that only you have the capability to accomplish. Do you wish to hear it?"

The woman looked up at her superior. "Of course," she consented, her silvery voice soft yet sharp.

The leader studied her for a second, as if looking for a sign of uncertainty. Finally, he nodded, apparently satisfied. "Very well. I want you to shadow Uchiha Itachi."

The woman's reaction was unreadable, as her expression remained the same upon hearing his words.

"You obviously know why you are the only one proficient enough to do this mission. Because your abilities are so valuable to our organization and coveted by enemies, you have developed extraordinary skills in stealth. You can remain hidden better than anyone else in this organization. Zetsu might be an excellent tracker, but the sharingan can sense his presence. You on the other hand, have the ability to elude even the eyes of an Uchiha, making you the ideal choice."

"Might I ask for what purpose I am doing this?" The woman inquired.

"I have noticed Itachi has been acting…not himself as of late. The difference has been subtle, but enough to be of concern. You have likely realized by now that putting full trust in a shinobi such as Itachi is a foolish mistake. Despite the fact he has so far acted in this organization's best interests, a member of such a powerful clan is bound to have ulterior motives."

"I agree, but you have any idea what these motives might be?"

"None. However, that is where you come in. Look for anything suspicious about how he behaves, where he goes, or what he does. Report all that you see to me, so that I might come to a decision as to his future in Akatsuki. Understood?"

"Perfectly."

"Good. I don't think I need to advise you of this, but keep extreme caution. It is doubtless that Itachi will not hesitate to kill you if he finds out what's going on."

The leader's voice lowered to a softer, less authoritative tone. "I wouldn't be asking you to do this if I didn't think you could, Hantaisha. You are an important part of this organization. Be assured that your actions will not be in vain."

"I am assured, Senpai. Thank you for your support."

Another figure materialized in front of them. The leader turned and addressed the newcomer. "What news, Zetsu?"

"Three out of the four members are returning: Itachi, Kisame, and Tobi," he answered, his deep, raspy voice echoing throughout the cave. "The jinchuuriki is not with them."

The leader's eyes narrowed. "I see. Inform the others that we will meet in four days to commence sealing of the Gobi. We must press on despite this…disappointment."

Zetsu nodded as his form dissipated. The leader looked back at Hantaisha. "Even now, his failure only increases my suspicion. You are dismissed. Your mission starts now."

"Yes, Senpai." She raised two fingers as her shadowy figure melted into the darkness

* * *

"It would appear that we have underestimated this new jinchuuriki." 

Tobi broke the silence between the three men as they sprinted back through the forest toward the mountains. His arm hung in a makeshift sling and his shoulder was heavily bandaged, covering the wound where Sasuke had stabbed him with Kusanagi. Kisame turned and scowled at him.

"It would also _appear_ that you are out of your league, weakling. I'm still amazed that the boy didn't kill you. He certainly had plenty of opportunity to do so, since you were constantly stumbling over yourself like a clumsy little genin."

"Speak for yourself, Kisame-san," Tobi chuckled. "When was the last time you had that sword of yours sharpened?"

The blue-skinned man growled and reached back to grasp Samehada's hilt, but another voice stopped him.

"That's enough," Itachi spoke, his normally emotionless voice was now edged with impatience. "Both of you failed today, but there are more important issues to be dealt with."

"What sort of issues?" Kisame asked curiously.

Before the Uchiha could answer, something emerged from a tree directly in front of them. The three stopped and faced the figure with a half-black, half-white head surrounded by two large, jagged leaves.

"I trust you have already relayed our position to the leader, Zetsu?" Itachi asked indifferently.

The grass-nin did not acknowledge his words. "I have been asked to pass along the information that we will convene in four days to seal the Gobi. Don't be late."

He disappeared back into the tree. "Well, he didn't seem too happy," Tobi observed, evident sarcasm in his voice.

"It is expected that the leader will be displeased with our lack of progress," Itachi replied. "But that is a trivial matter. In any case, I see no reason to return right away, since we have five days before the next meeting. Kisame, do you need my assistance in capturing the Shibi?

Kisame shook his head. "Unlikely. My target jinchuuriki is an old hermit who lives near Ame. There shouldn't be any trouble."

"Good. You can proceed on your own then—Tobi as well. We will meet again when it is time to seal the Gobi."

"Where will you be going?" Tobi inquired.

Itachi looked over his shoulder as he began walking in another direction. "I must recover something for the organization. It is of no consequence to you right now."

He jumped up into the trees and quickly disappeared from their sight. The masked man scratched his head. "Well, what am I supposed to do?"

Kisame grunted irritably. "I don't know…maybe you should _train_."

Tobi shrugged. "Y'know, that actually sounds like a good idea, since I already did my work for the organization." He glanced at Kisame and waved his hand as if to shoo him away. "You should get going Kisame-san. That jinchuuriki isn't going to capture itself."

He laughed as he turned to walk away, only to be yanked back violently by a blue hand. The Kiri swordsman's glare bore into Tobi as he gripped his cloak. "I suggest you watch your mouth, kid. Deidara might have put up with your shit, but if you cross me again, you won't have any more arms _to_ break. Got it?"

Tobi held up his hand in resignation. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry."

Kisame shoved him to the ground, releasing him from his grasp, and turned to head west, still grumbling under his breath. Tobi got up and dusted himself off, straightening his robes and bringing his hand up absently to touch his mask.

_That was close. I guess I overdid it that time._

* * *

Jiraiya walked into the Hokage's office to find Tsunade, Gai, Shikamaru, Yamato, Ibiki, Shizune, Kakashi, and assorted members of ANBU had already gathered. He stared at the silver-haired jounin perplexedly. "Kakashi, why are you--" 

"I told him the meeting was going to start two hours ago," Tsunade answered his unfinished inquiry.

"Ah."

Tsunade glanced over at the dark-haired chuunin leaning against the window behind her desk. "Shikamaru, I trust you've been adequately caught up on everything involving Naruto, the demon fox, and Akatsuki?"

He nodded, a slight hint of melancholy present in his usually bored expression. He had been only the fourth in his generation to learn of the secret that Naruto had harbored, and now had given up. The Hokage had felt it necessary to tell him, as he needed as much knowledge as possible to fully grasp the situation at hand.

The Hokage turned and addressed all those present. "I've called you all here because there have been some developments involving Uchiha Sasuke, the new nine-tails jinchuuriki. Jiraiya, please fill everyone in."

Jiraiya took a small scroll out of his pocket and opened it. "I've received information that there has been a clash between Sasuke and certain members of Akatsuki. Apparently, Akatsuki intercepted him and Orochimaru while they were en route to Kumo. This occurred two days ago, so they've likely reached their destination by now."

"So Akatsuki failed to capture him?" Shikamaru asked.

Jiraiya nodded. "It would seem so. Either Orochimaru held them off himself, or Sasuke has taken considerable advantage of the kyuubi's chakra. Given Sasuke's already impressive abilities and Orochimaru's confidence in his 'subjects,' I would think the latter is the more likely case."

"But why would he go to Kumo?" Kakashi wondered. "Given their political situation, they haven't made many friends lately, but even then, they have considerable military power, which is what has allowed them to be so self-sustaining. Orochimaru would need a good bargaining chip in order to gain asylum."

"The information extracted from the prisoners has shed some light in that area," Morino Ibiki, Konoha's head interrogator, spoke up. "Orochimaru has been offering his…services to Kumo's shinobi. He has been providing them drugs and performing experiments in order to enhance their abilities. This would explain why Team 7 had so much difficulty in fighting them. Their chakra levels and much of their jutsu are unnatural."

"And just what is Orochimaru getting in return for this?" Tsunade questioned.

Ibiki shook his head. "The prisoners did not possess this information. As far as we are led to believe, asylum is the extent of Orochimaru's connection with Kumo."

Jiraiya's brow furrowed. "I highly doubt that's all Orochimaru wants from them. He'll use all the influence he has to gain the power he needs to destroy Konoha."

"So this means…" Gai started.

"Yes," Tsunade affirmed gravely. "Orochimaru has probably formed an alliance with Kumo and is planning to attack Konoha, just like he did with Suna three years ago."

The room was silent for a moment as the realization set in. Shikamaru finally broke in with his low monotone voice. "Well, it's obvious what we have to do now."

Tsunade turned to him in anticipation. "Perhaps you'd like to fill in those of us who don't play shouji every day?"

Shikamaru smirked at that remark. "We have to capture Uchiha Sasuke, or at least disable him so he can no longer use the kyuubi's chakra. Without him, Orochimaru will think twice about his plans."

"Well, of course, _that_ much is obvious, but how exactly do we accomplish this when he is under the protection of a hostile country?" The Hokage asked skeptically.

"The Raikage seems to be open to bargaining," Shikamaru rubbed his chin in thought. "So why don't we offer him something he might want?"

"The prisoners." Jiraiya finished for him.

"Exactly. We'll offer to exchange them for access to Orochimaru and Sasuke. The Raikage won't know how much information we've extracted, and he'll likely want his plans to remain a secret, even if it means sacrificing Orochimaru's assistance."

"But why fold if you're holding the best hand?" Yamato pointed out. "If the Raikage believes he can defeat Konoha with Orochimaru's help, he won't care what we do or do not know."

"It's a risk we have to take," Kakashi said soberly. "This is the only option right now…other than war."

"But we can't appear the aggressors," Jiraiya stated. "If other countries have good reason to believe we instigated a conflict, then they'll more likely side against us than stay neutral."

"If this plan fails though, we won't have much of a choice." Tsunade countered. "Orochimaru and Uchiha Sasuke _must_ be stopped, no matter what the cost."

Everyone else in the office solemnly murmured their agreement. It wasn't an easy concurrence to make. All of them understood the gravity of the Hokage's statement.

"Well then," she continued. "This will be an S-rank priority one mission. It must be undertaken by regular ranked shinobi instead of ANBU, as our initial aim is for diplomacy. Kakashi will be the leader of a four-man cell." She glanced at the jounin, who nodded in response.

"The second member will be Captain Yamato. Obviously, the techniques he inherited from the Shodaime Hokage will be essential to the success of this mission. We'll also need a taijutsu specialist to serve as back-up in case the situation becomes hostile. Gai, are you prepared?"

"Actually," he cleared his throat, "with all due respect, Hokage-sama, I believe my student Hyuuga Neji will be more suited for this mission. His taijutsu skills are superb and his byaukugan will no doubt prove very useful. What he lacks in experience, he makes up for in ability."

Tsunade paused, then nodded. "Very well. As for the fourth member, you will definitely need a medic-nin. It is vital that make all effort avoid any casualties. I would have Haruno Sakura join you, but certain circumstances have made that impossible." She turned to her aid, standing by her side at the desk. "Shizune, you will be the fourth member."

Shizune blinked in surprise. "M-me, Tsunade-sama? But don't you need my assistance here at the office?"

"You are quite a capable fighter and an excellent medic-nin," Tsunade answered. "You are the ideal choice for this mission. Besides…" she smiled as she spoke under her breath, "I could use a day or two without you on my back."

Shizune glared at her master, but made no further objection.

"It's settled then," Tsunade announced as she stood at her desk. "The four of you will set out in two days. This should give you enough time to refine your tactics. Remember, gentlemen, your strategy and preparation is of the essence if this mission is to succeed. Dismissed!"

Everyone acknowledged the Hokage's words and left. The only one who remained was Jiraiya. He approached to Tsunade's desk and spoke quietly. "Er, about the other day…"

She held up a hand. "Don't worry about it. It's a tough situation and emotions are sure to be on edge. We'll just have to put it aside for now."

Jiraiya nodded in agreement. He walked past the desk and gazed out the window, where he could see the late afternoon sun shining brightly on the five faces on the mountain, illuminating their rugged features.

_Five faces…five generations…and not a single one has yet seen peace…_

He spoke quietly to his former teammate, his eyes still focused on the mountain and the village beyond the window. "You realize what must be done if this mission fails."

She walked over to join him at the window. "Yes. This mission is plan A. Plan B is mobilization."

"Do you think we'll be ready?"

Tsunade opened her mouth to give an answer, but none came. The question remained hanging in the air, floating beyond the office and into the village streets, where citizens went about their business, unaware of the dangers that were suspended idly over their heads.

Jiraiya didn't press her, and turned to quietly exit the office, leaving the Hokage at the window. There was no doubt that, when called upon, the shinobi of Konohagakure would once again rise to the occasion, and defend their homeland with their lives. She herself had experienced this moment of courage that inspired strength beyond what seemed possible.

But now, there was something different…something missing. She could see it in the eyes of everyone at the meeting. Where there had once been the drive and desire to change things for the good, now was a resignation to simply endure the bad. Maybe it was fatigue from seeing constant war, or the realization that the enemy's power was just too overwhelming and unbeatable, but it was as though Konoha's fighting spirit had been stripped of its effectiveness, lying forgotten in the corner of some darkened room, devoid of the one most important thing it needed to survive.

Hope.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Well, I finally made another chapter. Once again, I apologize for the wait, and I still intend on finishing this story, but...I guess it might take a while. Anyway, thanks for those who sent PM's and reviews these last couple of months. You know who you are. You have inspired me to continue writing when I've felt particularly unmotivated. **  
**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Yamanaka Ino leaned against the front desk of Konoha Hospital, drumming her fingers restlessly on its surface. The three-man cell known as Team 10 had arrived back from a week-long mission the previous afternoon. When they had first left, Sakura's body and Naruto were still missing. Ino had protested fiercely against the Hokage's orders, insisting that she continue with the search. But this mission, a B-rank, had come straight from the Daimyo, and there was no turning it down. When they finally returned, Shikamaru was immediately summoned to the Hokage's office, but Ino, being exhausted from the long week, had decided to go straight to bed. Only today, when she had first arrived at work, did she hear from Tsunade what had happened: Sakura was alive, but her memory had been lost.

The news had hit her in the most unexpected way. She was shocked at first, then ecstatic, then a wave of sadness set in. She had thought Sakura gone forever, and with that loss came many regrets. Now that she had miraculously come back, there was new opportunity to tell her things that had been left unsaid for far too long. However, this Sakura would have no recollection of their relationship, their rivalry, or the experiences they shared. In a way, since those regrets still lingered, it seem as though she hadn't come back at all.

After a few days in the hospital, Sakura had been allowed to return to her house. Although this did nothing to help her memory, her trust in others was starting to be restored. Tsunade suggested that she return to the hospital this afternoon, not as a patient, but in an attempt to reacquaint her with her former job. She also suggested Ino meet her at the door, since she had been a co-worker of Sakura's for the past year.

As Ino continued to wait anxiously in the lobby, she finally spotted a pink-haired figure wander through the double doors. The blonde kunoichi quickly walked over to her, grinning broadly.

"Forehe—I mean, Sakura! It's good to see you…again," she put her hands on her shoulders as though to embrace her, but she felt Sakura's muscles tense slightly. Reluctantly, Ino dropped her arms to her sides. "Er, sorry. I forgot that you don't know who I am. My name's Yamanaka Ino." She offered her hand this time, and Sakura took it, a smile slowly coming to her lips.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama told me we knew each other, and I've seen you in some of the pictures Naruto showed me," Sakura's head drooped slightly. "I suppose I'm the one who should be sorry."

"Oh no, it's fine," Ino waved her hand casually. "It just means we have a bit of catching up to do, right? Well, come on, let me show you around a little."

She led Sakura through all the hospital's main rooms on every floor, explaining their function and mentioning anything Sakura herself might have done there. The more Ino showed her, the more amazed Sakura became.

"So I was a medic, just like you?"

Ino nodded. "Actually, you were more experienced than me. A lot of the stuff I know I picked up from you."

"And I trained under one of the best medics ever?"

"Oh yes, probably _the_ best ever. Tsunade-sama has built quite a reputation for herself."

Sakura's face lit up excitedly, but it slowly became downcast. "Wow…I've done so much in my life, but it still feels so…unfamiliar to me. I'm lucky I had friends like you, though."

Ino stopped walking and turned to her. "Sakura…" she began, as the pink-haired girl looked at her questionably. "I'm…sorry for the way it was. I know you don't remember, but we weren't always on the best of terms. We let too many things get in the way of being friends. I just felt like I needed to tell you this, because when you died…I couldn't ever tell you anything."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, raising her eyebrows.

Ino sighed before smiling sadly. "We were rivals more than we were friends. We were always competing over who was stronger, who could make the best flower arrangements, boys…well, mostly boys." She chuckled a bit. "They were silly things, and I was selfish to think that you couldn't be better than me in anything."

Sakura couldn't help but stare in confusion, but seeing the lament in the blonde's eyes, she smiled reassuringly. "It's ok…really, it is. I can't blame you for not being a good friend, especially if I don't remember you." Her smile faded as she slowly lifted her hand and rested it on Ino's shoulder. "But if you don't mind, could you promise me something?"

Ino nodded, a curious expression on her face.

"Don't forget who we once were. I mean, I'm sure I was just as much convinced I was better than you as you were than me."

Ino frowned. "But why wouldn't you want to forget? Those weren't exactly our best moments."

"I know," Sakura answered her, "but someone told me a few days ago, 'sometimes it's best not to forget certain things, even if they make you sad,' besides," she continued, her smile returning. "It couldn't have been all that bad, right? You're still talking to me, aren't you?"

Ino nodded, her smile also returning. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Good. And also…" Sakura's eyes fell. "I want _someone_ to remember the old me, because I might not ever be that person again."

Ino shook her head. "Don't say that! Tsunade-sama will find a way to cure you. She _always_ finds a way! Have you by chance met Rock Lee yet?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed in thought.

Ino continued. "…black hair, thick eyebrows, disturbing fetish for the color green…?"

Sakura's expression lit up. "Oh yeah! I've met him."

"Well, he used to be seriously injured, and would never have been a ninja again, if Tsunade hadn't performed surgery on him."

"Really? Wow."

Ino nodded knowingly. "Damn right, wow. She isn't the best medic-nin around for nothing."

"Thanks for the compliment, Ino, but I'm afraid it won't let you leave early today."

Ino turned around, surprised to see the Hokage standing right behind her.

"Oh, Tsunade-sama! I didn't--"

The older woman laughed. "Just a joke, Ino." She turned to the other girl. "Sakura! It's nice to finally see you back here again, and not as a patient this time."

Sakura smiled politely. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama. I hope I'm not causing any distractions being here. People seem to be…staring at me a lot, not just here, but around the village too."

The Hokage shrugged. "That's just a normal reaction. It's not every day people see someone whose funeral was held just last week walking around as if nothing had happened."

The pink-hair girl nodded, a slight involuntary shudder passing over her. _She hasn't fully gotten over her paranoia yet, it seems. I suppose I should talk about something a little more familiar._

"One thing I've been meaning to ask you," Tsunade continued, "is how the memory therapy with Naruto is going. Have you managed to make any progress?"

Sakura shook her head dolefully. "No. He's shown me pictures, told me stories, described people and places, but nothing seems to help. And being here with Ino this past hour…I can't say this place rings any bells, either."

"That's alright," the Hokage smiled warmly. "I just thought it'd be nice if you were at least familiarized with this place again, since you've spent much of the last couple of years working and training here. As far as your sessions with Naruto, we'll keep those going. If anything, it's helping you be more comfortable with your surroundings."

Sakura looked around her, taking in all of the sights and sounds produced by the environment. She tried to pick up on things that looked or sounded like she had sensed them before. _Nothing._ She shook her head and looked back at the Hokage, sadness in her eyes.

"Tsunade-sama…is my condition permanent? It's ok to be honest…I need to know."

Tsunade pursed her lips with uncertainty. "I really can't say for sure, Sakura. Out of the patients I've treated, there have been some that have recovered and some that haven't. It's pretty much just a case by case situation, and in your case, I can't even begin to guess, because the way you contracted it is so unique. Without more knowledge of the jutsu that resurrected you, we're left completely in the dark. All we can do right now is just slowly reintroduce you to your old life, and hope that something eventually triggers a memory."

Sakura regarded her words silently for a moment, then managed a smile. "Thank you for telling me, Tsunade-sama, and helping me with this process."

She nodded. "I'll do my best to help you in any way that I can. In fact, I'm about done here, so I can take over the tour for Ino. It'll just be a few minutes."

Both girls voiced their acknowledgement as Tsunade stepped into an adjacent room. Ino noticed the downcast expression on Sakura's face that she had kept from showing until the Hokage left. The news she had just heard was not exactly promising.

"Sakura…what I said earlier, I…"

"Don't worry about it. I know what you were trying to do," Sakura answered. "I have to take into account the possibility that I won't recover. Not thinking realistically will only make things worse in the long run."

Ino sighed, knowing that she was right. Looking up, she noticed a familiar blonde enter the hallway, accompanied by an ANBU member. "Hey, Naruto's here!"

Sakura turned, and upon seeing him, her demeanor changed entirely. Her eyes lit up and she smiled broadly, actions which did not go unnoticed by Ino.

"Naruto! What are you doing here? I thought you were still under…" Sakura hesitated to continue, fearing it was still a sensitive issue.

But Naruto smiled. "It's ok, you can say it. I am, but I came here to get a prescription refilled. How are things with you?"

Sakura inclined her head thoughtfully. "Well…they could be better, I guess."

"It'll get better, Sakura-chan," he replied, leveling his eyes with her own. "It just might take a little time, that's all."

She nodded, maintaining her smile. "Yeah. You're right…just a little time."

Ino sighed to herself. _Hiding things again…not telling him what Tsunade-sama told you. Even without your memories, you're still the same person, Sakura._

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Tsunade walked out of the room she was in. "Naruto. What brings you here?" her tone was not unkind, but it still carried a note of business-like curtness, matching her expressionless, unsmiling face.

"I ran out of the pills Shizune-san prescribed for my headaches. I was wondering if I could get them refilled."

The Hokage nodded. "Shizune is out today, so I'll go ahead and take a look at your chart while I have a free moment. Go to my office down on the first floor, I'll meet you and Sakura there shortly."

She stepped back into the room, as Ino turned to the others. "I guess I'll leave you two, er—three to your tasks," she corrected, glancing at the ANBU member at Naruto's side. "I've still got some training to finish up before I call it a day."

She waved goodbye as Naruto and Sakura started walking down the hall toward the elevator.

"So you're having headaches?" Sakura inquired of the blonde. "What do you think is causing them?"

"Y'know that stuff I told you about earlier? Chakra?"

She nodded.

"I think it has something to do with that."

"Oh." She frowned, turning to look at him. "Is that all you know right now?"

Naruto shrugged sheepishly. "Well, I wouldn't say I'm an expert on these kinds of things…its not really one of my strong points…" he paused and looked back at Sakura, who was still listening intently. He sighed with a little half-smirk. "Okay, so it's a miracle I made it out of the ninja academy with how much I know, but I still manage."

The pink-haired girl giggled at that last statement. Naruto couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as his smile broadened. "…what? You're laughing at me?"

She covered her mouth with her hand, hiding her grin. "I'm sorry, that was just…kinda funny, the way you put it."

They reached the elevator and entered the sliding doors, pushing the button for the first floor. Sakura glanced back and noticed Naruto was still smiling at her. "What is it?"

He shook his head. "Oh, nothing…it's just that I've always liked hearing you laugh. You haven't laughed like that in a long time. Not since…well…"

He trailed off, and she knew from his face that he was remembering something painful. She rested her hand on his shoulder. "It's ok. You don't have to tell me until you want to."

"No, I do want to, it's just…hard to find the words right now."

They stood in silence as the numbers above the door continued to light up in descending order. They reached the first floor and the three walked out with Naruto in front, heading to the right.

"You seem to know your way around pretty well," Sakura noticed, trying to change the subject.

Naruto chuckled a bit. "Yeah, I've spent quite a few hours here. Many shinobi have, probably. It becomes really familiar after a while."

She pursed her lips, glancing at a passing patient on crutches wearing a Konoha headband. "So being a ninja can get pretty tough, huh?"

He paused a moment before answering. "It can be, but when I look back, I never really thought about it that way. I never had time to, I guess. The stress of the mission was always the main thing on my mind. Everything else just didn't seem as important."

Sakura brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes in silence. Naruto could tell that a lot was on her mind. The funny thing was, this was how she normally got when she was trying to sort out a confusing situation. He had seen it a few times during missions. She always seemed to be doing some idle activity when she was thinking, be it messing with her hair, chewing on her bottom lip, or tapping her fingers on the side of her leg.

_Sometimes, she makes it seem so easy for me to forget she doesn't have her memories. _

Turning the corner in the hallway, they arrived at the doorway of a small room marked "office." Just beyond was the front desk, and the entrance where Sakura had first come in. Naruto leaned against the wall, glancing at Sakura as she continued to observe the activity of the hospital.

"So, has seeing this place made you think about picking up on your medic-nin career again?" he asked.

She looked over at him and smiled vaguely. "I really don't know. I'd have to learn all over again how to be a ninja, that's for sure. It'd take forever before I'd be doing anything close to what I was probably doing before."

The blonde shook his head. "Naw. You'd pick up on it really fast. You're a natural at that kind of thing. You were the smartest in your class, y'know."

"Oh, you don't have to say that…"

"I'm serious! Just ask Iruka-sensei. He was the one who put all the teams together. The goal was to balance out the ones who were smarter and more skilled with the ones who weren't as much. So you can probably guess why _I _was on your team."

She giggled again, hitting him playfully on the shoulder. "There you go again. You don't give yourself enough credit. Were you always this hard on yourself?"

Naruto paused, but was saved from answering when the Hokage entered the hallway. She briefly nodded at them and stepped into the office. Stepping out a few seconds later, she regarded the clipboard she held in slight confusion.

"That's a little odd. The symptoms you were feeling are consistent with chakra withdrawal, but it only typically lasts for a few weeks at most. Your headaches should have subsided by now."

She flipped through a few pages, then shrugged, taking out a pen and scribbling on a small slip of paper. "You did lose access to a lot of chakra, though. Take this to the pharmacy down the hallway to your right. They'll give you a fresh bottle that should last you another few weeks."

Naruto took the paper and bowed slightly. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. I guess I'd better be heading back home, now."

Tsunade looked up from her clipboard and paused, raising an eyebrow. After a moment, she nodded, and stared at Naruto's back as he and the ANBU guard started back up the hallway toward the pharmacy.

Sakura glanced in the same direction, then looked back at the Hokage concernedly. "Tsunade-sama? Is something wrong?"

Tsunade blinked a few times and turned to face her former apprentice. "Oh no, it's nothing. Now, we were going to finish that tour, weren't we?"

* * *

A cloudy dusk settled over Fire Country. The last of the sunlight cast a pink glow in one corner of the sky, just as the last of the embers in the smoldering ruins of several small buildings slowly died out. A lone figure slowly made his way down a grassy path, lying between what was left of the structures. His long shadow passed over the destruction, and the bodies scattered along the ground. The smell of blood mingled with the pungent scent of burning ashes, but even the scavenger birds kept a quiet distance, in fear of the ominous aura still present amidst the village's remains, or perhaps in a grudging respect for the dead.

It didn't have to come to this. He only required information, nothing more. Several village officials were asked. Some had shown ignorance; others, defiance. The way they appeared to emulate the courage of Konoha ninja intrigued him; he had once thought this level of rashness and determination impossible for simple civilians. However, the possibility that they were withholding things from him was far too evident. They had to be dealt with.

He had proceeded to issue threats, then carried them out when their answers remained unchanged. His efforts in this regard proved fruitless, as did a search through various records and documents that he conducted on his own. Having already drawn too much attention to himself, he proceeded to eradicate all knowledge of his visit, by eradicating those who possessed that knowledge.

Which, given the small size of the village, happened to be everyone who lived there.

He was nondiscriminatory in his work. Neither women nor children were spared, and each was cut down with the same passionless, yet ruthless efficiency. Screams and pleads, as usual, fell on apathetic ears.

_All the same…the way each faces death is said to be unique, but that is nothing but imaginative thinking. All face death in fear…fear of the unknown, of the pain, of the uselessness and incompleteness of the lives they leave behind…it's all the same._

Word would eventually spread of this deed, he knew; but by then, he would be well out of reach of any retaliation. True, he had reached a dead end for now in his search. The lengths he took to simply find this tiny village made it all the more disappointing. Fire Country was quite large, though. There were plenty more places to look, but time, and regrettably, his patience was running short.

_Keeping something like this hidden for so long is quite an achievement, but then again, I wouldn't expect any less from him._

Approaching the edge of the village, he buttoned up his cloak from the inside and donned his straw hat. His red eyes briefly passed over an old, wooden sign with words etched into its surface: _Welcome to Takigi no Sato: Birthplace of the Shodaime Hokage, Founder of Konohagakure._

He continued down the path as the glow of the sun faded, and the crescent moon rose to take its place. The night was silent, save for the soft chorus of crickets and the occasional rustle of leaves from the light breeze. The cloaked figure suddenly stopped and quickly extended his arm outward, sending a shuriken into the bushes that ran alongside the path.

As the metal sank into the shrubbery, the leaves and branches started to shift around it, forming the shape of a human. The shape stepped out of the greenery it was surrounded by as the leaves began to morph, revealing blue hair, dark brown eyes, and a cloak identical to the figure's who had thrown the shuriken.

The woman looked at the back of her hand and frowned, removing the blood-covered metal. "Your sharingan is as impressive as ever, being able to notice me like that. Although, you sure have violent ways of getting people's attention, Itachi-san."

"I'm growing tired of things being kept hidden from me," the Uchiha replied, "especially people who are trying to spy."

Hantaisa suspended her other hand over the wound, enveloping it in a soft green glow. "What do you expect? Failing a mission, then going off on your own to wipe out a small tourist village for no known reason seems like odd behavior for an Akatsuki member, wouldn't you say?"

Itachi lowered his head and slowly removed his hat, running a hand through his jet black hair. "I suppose it was somewhat wise for the leader to keep watch on my every move. After all, trust among missing-nin is understandably short. In the end though, his efforts will not matter."

He raised his head back up and leveled his gaze at her. "He's probably expecting you to relay this information, and hoped you would do so undetected, is that right?"

Hantaisha hesitated, then nodded silently, though she did not meet his gaze.

"However," his brow furrowed as the red glow in his eyes became more vivid. "Since you have failed the latter part of your assignment, I probably shouldn't let you leave alive."

Unbuttoning his cloak once again, he slowly stepped toward her. Unnoticed by both of them, the sounds of the night had promptly ceased.


	11. Chapter 11

Well, here it is. After seven-plus months of putting it off, I finally got around to making another chapter. However, much has gone on in the "real" Narutoverse since I last posted. When I began writing, the manga was still in the process of completing the Hidan and Kakuzu arc. Because of this, everything in my story beyond that point will deviate considerably from the manga. In particular, certain characters that are revealed in the manga's later chapters will either be nonexistent or be markedly different in this fanfic. I won't say which characters I'm talking about in the interest of spoilers, but be aware of this as you continue (I hope) reading.

**Chapter 11**

A smile.

He couldn't remember the last time he had a genuine one on his face. True, it wasn't in his nature to smile very often, but there were still things that pleased him, things that up until recently had become so rare. At this moment though, sitting in his chair, in his office, in his tower as he gazed out his window, idly sharpening a kunai on the rough end of a stone, he felt his mouth turn up on one side, then the other.

It was likely a combination of things that brought about this unusual sensation. He had always admired the view from his window, as it overlooked a dusty, barren plateau that stretched for miles several thousand feet above sea level. Something about the emptiness and rigidity of the landscape fascinated him. His office had also been a particular point of pride. Adorning the walls were various weapons from different lands and times, pictures of his relatives and predecessors, and even the head of a Spotted Mountain Yak, a species indigenous to Lightning Country.

But perhaps the most significant thing that brought a glint to his one uncovered eye was the idea that he would soon be able to set in motion something that the shinobi whose faces hung on the wall had only dreamed of doing.

Expansion.

No one before him had had the foresight to peer across the threshold of potential and see the glorious future ahead of them, but he saw more than what had met their eyes. He had always had a gift for that sort of thing. It was probably why he saw beauty in things like the ostensibly drab view from his window, and why he was the one now sitting in a chair at a desk while all that was left of his predecessors were mere two-dimensional illustrations.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. The door to his office opened, and a tall, bald-headed shinobi walked in and bowed.

"Raikage-sama, phase two of preparations is nearing completion. Our troops have been adequately supplied, and are awaiting further instructions."

He continued to face the window, nodding slightly. "Very good, Kamereon. Send word to the militia in the surrounding villages and have them begin to move to the rally point."

"Yes, Raikage-sama."

After a few moments of silence, the Raikage noticed that his aide had not left. He turned in his chair and regarded him inquiringly. "Is something else on your mind you wished to express?"

Kamereon's face remained stoic, but he shifted his weight on his feet. It was not common of him to voice concerns, but he knew it was safe to do so if the Raikage had requested it. "Last week's failed ambush mission…the cell that was sent, they—"

"Were obviously captured, yes," the Raikage finished for him calmly, folding his hands in front of him. "Does this worry you?"

"…Somewhat. Much of the preliminary stages of our plan was communicated to all troops prior to the cell's capture. Would it not be possible for Konoha ANBU to extract from them what they know and then have the ability to determine our final aims?"

"The troops know only what they have seen and what is required of them. What Konoha gains from them will prove insufficient to hold back what is coming."

Kamereon bowed his head again. "Of that, I have no doubt, Raikage-sama. I apologize for any lack of faith I might have conveyed."

"On the contrary Kamereon, faith is irrelevant. Everything has been set in motion. You need not concern yourself with that which has already been determined."

The aide nodded and turned to exit, but the Raikage spoke again. "Despite this, Konoha will understandably try to forestall us in some way. I advise you to be on your guard. It would be foolish to dismiss their tact."

Kamereon allowed a small smile to come to his face, as the rest of his features seemed to darken. Without another word, he left.

* * *

Then four-man jounin cell of Kakashi, Yamato, Shizune and Neji moved stealthily through the trees, dodging patches of moonlight that gleamed between branches.

The masked jounin turned to his teammate. "How are things looking, Neji?"

The veins surrounding the Hyuuga's pale eyes softened as he relaxed his gaze. "No sign of enemy ambush parties, or even scouts."

Kakashi noticed the perplexed look on his face. "What do you see, then?"

Neji shook his head. "Nothing. All the nearby towns have been completely deserted. No civilians, no guards…no signs of human life anywhere."

Shizune's eyes widened. "Do you think they know we're coming?"

Kakashi was silent for a moment. _It was suspicious enough that there wasn't anyone to meet us at the border gate. That's very uncharacteristic of Kumo. They've always kept a close watch on outsiders._ "I don't know, but I have a feeling that whatever is going on is more important than us. Keep patrolling, Neji. We don't want to get complacent."

He turned to Yamato. "Send word to Konoha and update them on our status. I advise moving up to a level 2 security alert."

Yamato nodded and formed hand seals. A block of wood rose from his hand, molding into the shape of a bird. Writing a message on a scroll, he put it in the bird's mouth, and it flew off in the opposite direction.

"That's the last opportunity we'll have to communicate with them," The ANBU captain observed. "We're far enough away from the village that any further messages wouldn't reach them for a few days, and by then we'll have already reached Kumo."

Shizune looked over at Kakashi. "So, if we're going to be separated from Konoha and any possibility of reinforcement, then we're going to need a hell of a strategy if things turn ugly."

Kakashi looked back at her. "I have a little something planned that should buy us some leeway, but it's going to take an effort from all of us."

* * *

Standing on the fingertips of a giant statue's hands, seven shadows flickered silently in the darkness of the Akatsuki cave. Between the hands lay the motionless, mangled body of a middle-aged woman, the jinchuuriki of the five-tailed demon dog.

Or, at least, she would be for another few hours. That would soon change.

She had been beaten to an inch of her life, but not because she was defending herself. She was not even a ninja; she lived in a small village in the eastern part of Rock Country, and had tried unsuccessfully to live a normal life and hide the secret that she harbored. However, when the Akatsuki member who was assigned to capture her learned that she was merely a civilian, he was quite put out at the prospect of not being able to collect on a reward. People paid to see ninjas dead, not peasants. Naturally, he took out his frustration on his target, as his partner looked on in indifferent amusement. "_Geez, Kakuzu…you should seek some professional help for that temper of yours."_

The two had returned to the cave with their bounty, and after a mild chastisement from the leader for "too much damage to the subject," the members took their positions, and waited for the rest of their number to return.

The leader turned to the beady-eyed figure on his left. "Your partner is late, Kisame."

He shrugged. "Don't ask me about it. He never talks to me about anything. Besides, he's not the only one who's not here."

The leader glanced at the two vacant positions on top of the monstrous sculpture's fingertips. "They'll both be along shortly, I'm sure. The sealing will proceed as planned."

"He said he was going to go off by himself to recover something for the organization," Tobi piped in. Kisame shot a glare at him as the leader raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so?" the leader asked, his tone remaining conversational. "I am curious as to how fruitful his efforts were, then. If it is something for the benefit of Akatsuki, then I'm sure he has good reason for his lack of punctuality."

As if on cue, a shadow flickered into existence on top of one of the unoccupied fingertips. Itachi lowered his hand from the seal, the same bored expression present on his face. The leader gazed at him for a moment, then spoke again.

"I trust your time away was well spent, Itachi? Perhaps you would care to explain why you have failed to report for the sealing of the five-tails in the time span required."

Itachi looked back at the leader. "It could not be helped, but it is of no consequence right now."

"I see. Out of curiosity then, where did you go? Obviously, you would have no reason to withhold this information, since you yourself stated it is inconsequential."

"I do not wish to reveal that to you."

The silence in the cave was almost palpable. Every eye was on the leader, but he simply inclined his head curiously. "Ah, so apparently there _is_ some importance to your actions, after all. You can probably see the position you have put me in, Itachi. Keeping information from a superior is generally not looked kindly upon. Is there anything at all you wish to reveal as to your activities in the past few days?"

"There is not."

The leader continued eyeing the Uchiha, then finally moved his gaze back to the comatose woman between the statue's hands. "Very well. Are you prepared then to continue your duties to Akatsuki?"

"I have returned to seal the five-tails, as that is where Akatsuki's, and thus my own focus lies at the moment."

The leader nodded, as though he were satisfied with Itachi's answers. "Quite true, and we will obviously require all nine members to complete the sealing."

He gestured over to the statue's sole empty fingertip, just as a form rose from the stone and morphed into the frame of a human female. Unlike the other figures, this one was slightly hunched over, and appeared to be breathing heavily. Hantaisha looked up, her eyes revealing pain and fatigue.

The leader raised his voice to address so everyone present could clearly hear him. "Hantaisha actually arrived a little before the rest of you. She told me an interesting story about an encounter she had with you, Itachi. So, there's really no need to tell me what you were doing between our meeting times. I already know all that I need to know."

And then the leader's shadow was suddenly right next to Itachi's. He stuck out his shadowy hand, touching it to Itachi's chest. The shadows of both men became more detailed and distinct, until their real bodies stood on top of the statue. A kunai emerged from the leader's sleeve, but Itachi jumped back, landing on the statue's wrist. His sharingan pierced through the darkness as he gazed at his attacker.

The leader smiled. "Your genjutsu is useless here."

He crouched, just as several shuriken flew over his head from behind him. The Itachi that stood on the statue's wrist had dissipated into several black birds that scattered in all directions. Then, in a flurry of movement, the leader formed hand signs, and a portion of the cave above him closed in on itself with a loud rumble. A figure jumped clear just before the rocks crashed against each other, raining bits of dirt and gravel over everyone.

Itachi landed on the statue's other hand, his sharingan still activated and his expression still unchanged. Jumping up to one of the fingers, he formed hand seals in an instant, taking a deep breath and discharging a large fireball from his mouth. The leader prepared to dodge but was stopped short as two Itachi clones appeared beside him and held him in place.

As he watched the inferno streak toward him, the leader simply shook his head. "I do not wish to repeat myself. Your genjutsu will not work."

When it reached him, the fireball passed through him and disappeared, along with the Itachi clones. The real Itachi remained where he was before on the statue's palm, his eyes still fixed on the leader.

The leader spoke again, this time his voice having a malicious edge. "You can't hide from me, Uchiha. I know your movements. I have seen through all your tricks, all your doujutsu. The almighty Sharingan is nothing before me."

He began pacing across the statue's palm, his tone becoming more sinister with each pass. "I have to say, I'm quite disappointed. I offered you power and the promise of a new world through this organization, but you repaid me by going behind my back and seeking things on your own. For that, you will be punished."

The leader formed the dragon seal with his hands. At first, nothing happened, but then the other eight members quietly observing heard something that none of them, before this day, would have deemed possible.

Uchiha Itachi screamed.

Clutching his right hand, he collapsed onto the stone surface of the statue, and began writhing in pain. A blood-red glow emanating from his ring finger spread to the rest of his hand, eventually covering the rest of his body. Itachi tried to pull off the offending object, but it remained frozen to his skin. His shrieks and struggling became weaker, until he lost strength completely, laying motionless except for his chest heaving in erratic breaths.

The onlookers continued to say nothing, and the only sound in the cave was a light chuckle from the leader, who brought his hands down slowly from the seal.

"That ring you wear is a symbol, Uchiha, of your unwavering loyalty to this organization and its goals. Abide by it, and it brings you power. Betray it, and it takes power away from you. You have now been drained of all your chakra. Your membership in Akatsuki—as well as your life—will subsequently be terminated."

Moving to stand over the incapacitated Uchiha, the leader turned to the female Akatsuki member, still struggling to recover, and regarded her with a smile. "Well done, Hantaisha. You have done Akatsuki a great service. And now…" he reached behind his cloak and produced a large, jagged kunai. "…it is time for you to seal your allegiance."

He handed the weapon to her and smiled, his eyes narrowed in malicious glee. "Kill him."

"With pleasure," she replied weakly, returning the smile.

Turning toward Itachi, she lifted him up by the sweat-soaked collar of his cloak and plunged the kunai into his chest. The Uchiha's eyes widened for a moment, then glazed over as he soundlessly went limp in her grasp, a small trickle of blood emerging from his mouth.

The leader reached out and touched Itachi's neck with two fingers, then withdrew them and nodded in satisfaction.

The man who had defied him, who had challenged his authority, now lay dead at his feet.

* * *

Finding a spot near a small stream, Kakashi's Jounin cell stopped to rest for the remainder of the night. Everyone expressed the desire to continue, but their masked leader was firm, stating they would need rest for the days ahead. It would be daylight in another few hours, but for now the stars still hung in the darkened sky. Yamato sat on watch, listening to the crackling fire and the gentle flow of water from the stream.

Glancing behind him, he smiled. "Is my shift already over? I only started a few minutes ago."

His superior emerged from the darkness and joined him at the fire. "I can take it from here, Tenzou. Go ahead and get some sleep."

He chuckled. "No thanks. I probably couldn't if I tried…same as you, I guess."

Kakashi shrugged and continued staring at the fire in silence.

"Senpai, can I ask you something?" Yamato asked quietly.

"Sure."

"It's about Naruto. Do you think…he'll get back to normal?"

Kakashi inclined his head curiously. It was odd hearing his former lieutenant talk like this. Tenzou—or Yamato, as he was now known—normally didn't express personal interest in the lives of his fellow shinobi, preferring to keep more of a professional distance.

"Well…seeing as you've spent a fair amount of time with him, what do you think?"

Yamato shook his head and grinned. "Typical Kakashi-senpai. Using clever words to avoid the question."

Kakashi smiled behind his mask, but made no further comment.

"Naruto isn't one to change his mind easily," Yamato replied, taking Kakashi's cue to answer his own question. "When he's decided on something, there's usually no going back. I could tell this back when he was still going after Sasuke. His loyalty is unquestionable, but his stubbornness has often come back to hurt him when he's forced to face reality."

"Do you think it's the same way now?" Kakashi asked.

Yamato hesitated a moment before answering, then smiled. It was a strange smile, one that Kakashi hadn't seen his associate—who had been battle-hardened over the years through their stint in ANBU—give in a long time. It was almost…peaceful.

"Actually…no, I don't. I think he'll pull through, in fact. The funny thing with Naruto is, once he comes across a reality that stands against his goals, he doesn't accept it. He creates his own through sheer will. And that will…he still has it, or else he probably wouldn't still be here."

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully and turned back to the fading fire, stirring its embers until it glowed brightly again.

"So what about you?" Yamato lightly urged.

Kakashi paused for a moment, before shrugging again. "That works for me, I suppose. Everyone says I have a way with words, but you clearly have your own way, Tenzou."

Yamato sighed inwardly, but made no reply. _Still avoiding the question,_ he thought as he joined Kakashi's gazing reverie at the fire. _But I can't blame him. He's lost two students already to some kind of darkness. I can't imagine what he's really thinking._

Neither one able to close their eyes, the two remained in silence—and in reflection—until daybreak.

* * *

The leader turned to the other shrouded figures in the cave, who had not uttered a word since the Uchiha had first appeared. Whether it was out of shock at seeing the fall of the seemingly invincible Uchiha, or out of submission to the victor, they remained still, their eyes transfixed on the leader as he raised his voice to address them.

"Let this be a lesson to all of you. Through Akatsuki, you can achieve all that you desire and more. Failure and disloyalty will not be tolerated, unless you want to end up like your former associate."

He turned to the plantlike figure behind him. "Zetsu, dispose of the body, or better yet…" he turned back to Hantaisha. "store it in the inner chamber for further study. The Sharingan may still be of some use to--"

He stopped in mid-sentence. As he had switched his attention from Zetsu to Hantaisha, his eyes passed over something that took his mind a second to register.

Something wrong.

Slowly looking down at his feet to where Itachi's body lay, the leader peered closely at the deceased man's face. Then his eyes widened, much the same as Itachi's did before he was stabbed. The face that stared blankly back at him was not the same that had looked at him in fear only seconds earlier. The hair was _…blonde? And the lines around his eyes…where…_

He quickly reached down and grabbed the body, thrusting it closer to his face to get a better look. He had expected to grab the figure's left shoulder with his right hand, but he only grasped at cloth which was, upon closer inspection, stained with blood.

The leader was beginning to experience a sensation that was entirely new to him. _Why is my heart beating faster? What is…_

Then, he caught a clearer look at the face.

…_Deidara…?_

…_Oh no…_

It took him a fraction of a second to realize what was going on. It was a fraction of a second too late.

He managed to turn in time to see a blood-red circle surrounding a shuriken-like marking. Deathly black flames collapsed the world around him. He shrieked in agony as he felt each of his internal organs rupture and melt with an unimaginable explosion of pain. The next thing he knew, he was laying face-up on the statue's stone surface, his vision blurred by the damage the hellish heat had caused.

The only thing he could still clearly make out was the two crimson eyes gazing down at him, in the same expression they usually were.

"Impressive," Itachi observed. "You were able to form the seals for a _suiton_ shield in the midst of being consumed by _Amaterasu_. The result was quite pointless, however. That level of jutsu is far from powerful enough. You only succeeded in prolonging your suffering a little longer."

Somehow, he summoned enough strength to move his hand. He tried to position his trembling fingers to form half a seal, but was suddenly rendered immobile. He looked over to see a kunai pinning his hand against the stone, and a female figure releasing her hand from the handle. Hantaisha met his surprised and pained stare with a cold glare. She no longer seemed to be injured or fatigued.

Moving his mouth to form words, the only sound that came out was a dull wheeze.

"Your larynx has been seared beyond use," The Uchiha informed him. "Although, I suppose I will do you the honor of answering the questions that you are unable to ask."

_Flashback_

"_He's probably expecting you to relay this information, and hoped you would do so undetected, is that right?" _

_Hantaisha hesitated, then nodded silently, though she did not meet his gaze._

"_However," his brow furrowed as the red glow in his eyes became more vivid. "Since you have failed the latter part of your assignment, I probably shouldn't let you leave alive."_

_Unbuttoning his cloak once again, he slowly stepped toward her. Unnoticed by both of them, the sounds of the night had promptly ceased._

_Hantaisha laughed softly. "That's what he said you would do, yes."_

"_He believes he knows everything about the members of his organization," Itachi replied. "It will prove to be his undoing."_

_The Uchiha reached into his cloak and pulled out a scroll. He handed it to her as she examined it. "So this is the body?"_

_He nodded. "It will need some repair before the technique can be used."_

"_Very well." She slipped the scroll behind her own cloak. "I will meet with the leader and reveal to him what he wants to know. He will probably engage you in battle soon after you appear, in order to make a statement with the others. The body should be ready for use by that time."_

_Itachi buttoned his cloak back up and continued down the path leading away from Takigi. Hantaisha fell into step beside him._

"_I would have preferred it not to come to this," He told her. "But certain events have forced things to accelerate. Even then, we are still approaching the completion of our goal." _

_Hantaisha looked over at him curiously. "What will be the next step, then?"_

_Itachi looked back at her, the slight trace of a smile forming at the corner of his mouth. "Continue Akatsuki's true mission."_

_End Flashback_

He listened helplessly as the story was divulged to him, but something didn't make sense. Trying to shake his head vigorously, he managed to sputter, "K-k…kek-k-kei…"

Itachi nodded, knowing what he was saying. "You wish to know how I was able to copy the shouten jutsu even though it was a _kekkei genkai_? I would think the answer would be clear to you by now. The Sharingan can see the color of chakra. I have known for a while that you have infused the rocks in these caves with it. This is why you are able to see through my genjutsu; you constantly feed yourself your own chakra to disrupt its flow. A clever ploy, but foolish when fighting against someone who is able to not only see, but use your chakra against you."

Itachi kneeled down next to his inert superior and continued. "Every shinobi's chakra contains its own unique blending of physical and spiritual energy, which is closely connected with their _kekkei genkai_. Once I discovered yours via your chakra, it was no longer an issue copying the shouten. You claim you have seen through my doujutsu, my "tricks," but what you have seen…" He yanked the kunai out of his hand, causing him to grunt in pain. "…is an illusion."

The leader began trembling uncontrollably as another bout of pain gripped him. He looked over helplessly at Hantaisha, who was still standing over him, but she shook her head. "It's over, Senpai. Akatsuki is going in a different direction, and you are only in the way."

He watched as the light given off by the Uchiha's glowing eyes began to fade. There was nothing he could do except lay there, tremble, and cough up blood.

_Damn you…damn you, Uchiha… I am the leader of this organization…I will bring order…I am stronger…than…_

Itachi, Hantaisha, and the rest of Akatsuki watched as his movements slowed, then finally ceased. Itachi then turned to the rest of the shadowy spectators and spoke with his voice raised.

"A new chapter will begin for this organization. The rest of you will now follow my command. Anyone who does not wish to participate will be dealt with in turn."

He paused, as silence still permeated the cave. It was clear that the Uchiha would remain unchallenged.

"Our primary target: Uchiha Sasuke. Every other task is secondary. He is currently located in Kumo under Orochimaru's watch. All of you will proceed there immediately and detain him. Anyone that prevents you from completing your task is to be eliminated. Dismissed."

After a moment, the shadows began to dissipate one by one. Only Itachi and his female associate remained.

"Dispose of his body, and put this jinchuuriki's body in stasis," He told her, gesturing to the long-forgotten woman still lying on the cave floor. "We will resume sealing after the nine-tails is secure."

Hantaisha nodded, but paused. "Konoha will likely have similar plans."

Itachi smiled as his sharingan glowed brightly. "That is why we must continue our search. When we have that power, neither the Kyuubi, nor even the Will of Fire can stand in our way."


	12. Chapter 12

Wow…I didn't think I'd ever get to posting again, but as fate would have it, the muses have spoken to me over the course of several long months, and I finally developed enough material to provide you with a new chapter. However, I feel I must issue the same disclaimer I issued last chapter. So here's the deal: this story has become pretty AU by now, although not entirely. If you don't read the Naruto manga and just watch the anime, you may continue reading at your leisure. On the other hand, if you have been keeping up with the manga, two things must be done before you can sufficiently continue.

1. Think back to the Hidan and Kakuzu arc in the manga.

2. Forget everything that happened in the manga after that.

Once you have done these things, you should be able to read and comprehend this entire story without running into any confusion or having to think to yourself, "I thought such-and-such's character was different in the manga…"

And now I proudly (and finally) present chapter 12. As for next chapter, who knows? Maybe it could appear sometime during our lifetime, like Halley's Comet.

**Chapter 12**

"Raikage-sama, shinobi from Konoha have arrived and they wish to speak to you. For negotiations."

The Raikage rose from his chair. "I see."

"Shall I have them detained, Raikage-sama?"

He held up a hand. "No, they have come peacefully, and wish to discuss terms. We will honor their request."

Proceeding down the stairs to the front entrance of the tower, the Kumo leader opened the doors and was met by the four shinobi. His own shinobi encircled them unthreateningly, but warily.

Kakashi stepped forward and bowed. Raikage-sama. I am—"

"Hatake Kakashi, yes, I know who you are," The Raikage interrupted him curtly. He turned to look at the others. "And this must be the esteemed heir of Shodai Hokage's legendary Mokuton jutsu—Yamato, I believe they're calling you now…and the Hokage's student and aid, Shizune, no doubt one of the finest medic-nins in the five great nations."

When he got to the fourth member, he paused, his uncovered eye glinting curiously. "…and the progeny of the illustrious Hyuuga Clan—Hyuuga Neji. Yes, I have been informed about all of you and much more. Now please, tell me what you have come all the way across both our countries to discuss."

"We know you have been providing asylum for the sannin Orochimaru, an S-ranked criminal in Konoha's bingo book as well as many other countries. We ask that you release him into our custody. In exchange…" He drew out a scroll from his vest, opened it, and formed a hand sign. Three bound and unconscious Kumo shinobi emerged from the scroll in a puff of smoke. "We will return prisoners from a three-man cell that ambushed us within our borders a few weeks ago. Normally, this violation would be considered a hostile action on the part of your village, but if you agree to this exchange, then the incident will be forgotten."

The Raikage nodded thoughtfully and paced for a few seconds in silence. Finally he spoke, frowning slightly. "This exchange—you really don't think it fair, do you? Three chuunin for a sannin? Surely you must have more to offer."

"Raikage-sama, we also know of the plan you have for invading our village." Kakashi replied calmly. "We know that you are conspiring with Orochimaru to destroy Konoha, and have been augmenting your troops by use of his forbidden techniques. As I said before, if you agree to this trade, all will be forgotten. We can still maintain the peace that has helped to stabilize our countries."

The Raikage laughed harshly. "Now you're only mincing words. Masking a threat to look like an exchange. What makes you think we want to forget the history between our villages? Konoha is an eyesore, a village full of pompous fools who dangle their power in front of others and don't bother to share their wealth of knowledge and techniques."

"Raikage-sama, both you and I are well aware of the code that binds all shinobi villages to keep their secret techniques within their respective clans. It is for our protection that we do this, not our greed."

The Kumo leader narrowed his eyes at the jounin, his frown deepening. "On the contrary, Kakashi-san. I know all about your village and its insatiable lust for dominance. It's what led you to genocide—a complete massacre of the clan known as Uchiha. You used their powers when it was to your advantage, but when they became mindful of your control and began to resist, you had them wiped out, so that the power couldn't be used against you. All that remained was a pair of wayward brothers…and you, the Hokage's faithful lackey, who out of a twisted fate received the Uchiha's powers for your own use. Tell me, how does this fit in with your sacred 'code?'"

"Every village has done things it is not proud of. All we can do is learn from our mistakes and take further steps toward peace."

"Peace? You know nothing of peace!" The Raikage's face was now contorted in anger. "This world has known only war for the past six generations! It is the reason why the five great shinobi nations were created! It is the reason why powerful monsters are harnessed in humans and kept as pets! And it is the reason why you stand here now, telling your lies. As long as Konoha stands, we will only live for conquest. Go back and tell that to your Hokage, and give her the chance to save a few lives in your pathetic village while she can."

"Raikage-sama, please…if you truly wish to save lives, then—"

"The only way to ensure our future is to wipe you off the map. That and only that has been abundantly clear from the beginning."

"You leave us no choice, then."

Kakashi's team put their hands together, and several puffs of smoke exploded in the positions of the Kumo shinobi surrounding them. When the smoke had cleared, there were Konoha shinobi standing in their place.

Kamereon's eyes widened as he instinctively stepped in front of the Raikage. One of the guards standing next to him brandished a kunai. "They're only bunshin! There's no way that many shinobi could have gotten through our defenses!"

Kamereon shook his head. "Impossible. They have no idea what our shinobi look like, and there have been no reported casualties or missing-nin in the past week. Prepare yourselves! Send word to the battalions that we have been infiltrated!"

Kakashi reached into his bag and pulled out a kunai of his own. "You are not the only one who possesses information about his enemy, Raikage-sama. Now, hand over Orochimaru and Uchiha Sasuke, and no more of your village's blood will be shed."

Kamereon reached behind his back and pulled out a pair of kamas. "Raikage-sama, please return to the tower! We will handle this."

"I advise you to heed Kakashi-senpai's words, aide," Yamato spoke up in reply. "You are outnumbered, and will only be leading yourself and your guards into suicide."

"Silence, lab rat!" Kamereon spat back at him. "I am more than a match for you and your…"

His voice trailed off as he realized that the Raikage had started laughing.

Kamereon turned and stared at him in shock. "Raikage-sama, what are…"

The Kumo leader gently brushed his aide aside. "Valiant effort, Kakashi-san. Your genius certainly has not been exaggerated. Unfortunately, my amusement has run out. You may release the genjutsu."

Kamereon continued to stare at his master in bewilderment, "Raikage-sama, I sense no gen—"

"If you hadn't been so quick to launch yourself into battle Kamereon, you may have noticed that those Konoha shinobi have not moved since we arrived here, not even when they were still under the supposed guise of my soldiers. That is clearly a sign that they are under the influence of some sort of genjutsu."

"But Raikage-sama," one of the guards spoke up, "Why would they put their own soldiers under a genjutsu?"

The Raikage shook his head. "Because they aren't Konoha soldiers. The technique you saw was actually the rest of Kakashi's team creating bunshins around our soldiers to conceal them. They only made it look like they had released a henge no jutsu. Of course, only Kakashi-san has the power to use this high level of a genjutsu on so many people at once, so the rest of you must have created the bunshins. A total team effort that you should be commended for, to be sure. Now…" a projectile was suddenly launched from the Raikage and implanted itself into Kakashi, who promptly dissipated. "Where could your real body be, Kakashi-san?"

The Kumo leader paced the length of the motionless soldiers in front of him. Suddenly, three shuriken appeared in his hand, which he threw at one of the soldiers in the back. The soldier broke from his statue-like stance and dodged the shuriken, causing the Raikage to smile. In a puff of smoke, Kakashi appeared in the soldier's place, his sharingan eye already uncovered.

"Your bluff has been called, Copy Ninja," The Raikage's smile faded. "It's time to lay your cards on the table. Surrender Konoha, and you won't have to watch your precious friends die."

Kakashi shook his head, still glaring confidently at the Raikage, but hiding his fatigue from holding the genjutsu. "Our mission is to find Orochimaru, and we will not leave until we complete it. You'll have to kill us first…if you can."

Kamereon stepped forward and grinned maliciously. "That can be arranged."

"Why the hurry, Raikage-sama?"

A sniveling voice came from the steps of the Raikage Tower, and all turned to see Orochimaru standing with Sasuke, Kabuto and the hooded child Hinoki.

The Raikage bowed slightly in deference. "Orochimaru-sama. There is no need to concern yourself with this minor annoyance. I assure you that our plans will continue unhindered."

"Of course," the sannin replied, "It's just that Kakashi-san here has said he and his team wishes to find me, and I didn't want to leave him completely disappointed. Although…" he turned to the copy ninja. "You would be wise to listen to the Raikage. The time has come to set the windmills of Konoha's fall in motion once again."

"What makes you think you will succeed this time, Orochimaru?" Kakashi inquired. "You have already failed once in destroying us through an alliance with another village. You clearly underestimated us then. Are you going to make the same mistake again?"

"Very well, I will admit that I was too hasty then," Orochimaru replied. "I did not accurately gauge the strength of your village and Jiraiya's ability to undo my seal and free the demon chakra within Naruto-kun. However, I now have the weapon that I should have acquired then—the nine-tailed fox itself. And what better a vessel to store it than one of the heirs to the most powerful clan within the five great nations?"

He walked down the steps of the tower and continued to eye Kakashi with his snake-like gaze. "I have also come to a very important realization, and it happened to come to me when I was first able to obtain the demon. Konoha's Will of Fire is strong only when it is able to see a victory on the horizon. But when you come face to face with certain death, you crumble and lie broken at the feet of your enemies, just like anyone else—just like Naruto-kun when he brought me the body of his precious teammate."

"You're wrong!" Shizune burst out. "Tsunade-sama will not let you destroy her village! She has faced death many times, she can face you again!"

Orochimaru shook his head, his eyes narrowing evily. "Naïve to the last—that is Konoha's only true legacy. Do you want to know the real reason I showed myself today, Kakashi-san? It was to see you confront that inevitable end that you deny, and watch your face as you lose all hope." He turned to Kamereon and his guards. "Destroy them! No one escapes here alive!"

The Kumo shinobi surrounded the four-man team from Konoha as everyone prepared themselves to fight, but all were suddenly torn from their battle-readiness as the ground began to shake. An explosion could be heard in the direction of the south wall.

A shinobi suddenly appeared and bowed next to the Raikage, his face contorted with anxiety. "Raikage-sama! The wall…enemies have broken through the southern fortifications…five of them…"

"Five of who? Konoha ninja? Catch your breath and continue!" The Raikage barked.

The shinobi nodded and calmed himself. "No, they aren't from Konoha…they bear the robes of Akatsuki!"

The Raikage's eyes widened, then he frowned and gritted his teeth. "Reinforce the southern gate! I don't want anyone—"

The Kumo leader was cut off as another explosion rocked the earth only meters in front of him. Both Kumo and Konoha shinobi were blown back as a cloud of dust rose from the spot of the blast and obscured their vision. As the dust began to clear, five black and red figures emerged: Kisame, Hidan, Kakuzu, Tobi, and Zetsu.

The blue-skinned man known as Kisame turned to the Raikage, grinning and glaring through his beady eyes. "Pardon us for the interruption, but we were looking for the nine-tails jinchuuriki. Hand him over, and we will spare your village. Refuse to do so, and we will cut all of you to pieces. It's a simple request, Raikage-sama. It shouldn't be too hard for you to comprehend."

The Raikage brushed the dust off from his cloak. "Looks like your Uchiha protégé is quite popular, Orochimaru-sama," he sneered. "Maybe it was a mistake to let him into this village."

The Uchiha ignored him and instead turned his attention to the robed newcomers. "Where is Itachi?" he demanded.

A smug laugh came from the Akatsuki member with slicked back white hair. Hidan turned to his partner, still smirking. "That's all he ever talks about, this guy. I'll tell you what…we'll bring you to him after we calm you down a bit. What do you think, Kakuzu?"

"I think you should watch yourself," Kakuzu replied. "This jinchuuriki shouldn't be played around with."

Hidan waved him off, but Sasuke took a step forward, his eyes suddenly blazing red with the sharingan. "I'm going to ask you one more time…where is he?"

Hidan narrowed his eyes. "Talk is cheap, kid. Why don't you try acting on those threats?"

Sasuke frowned and shook his head, piercing Hidan and the rest of his team with a deadly gaze. "I gave you a chance…" black firey markings began creeping up his skin and black chakra began seeping from his pores. "I gave all of you a chance, but you still underestimate me. No more…I'm through playing games with you."

The aura the new jinchuuriki gave off was thick and palpable. Members of the Kumo guard began trembling uncontrollably, but the Raikage merely grinned.

Shizune turned to her team leader, her face visibly damp with sweat. "Kakashi…what's happening…?"

"We're facing the gates of hell," He replied, his tone more grave than anything she had heard from him before. "And they're about to open."

With a feral roar, Sasuke leaped into the air and lunged at the five Akatsuki members, who immediately scattered. He landed on the ground hard as bits of rocks and dust flew into the air, leaving a crater in its place.

Hidan grinned and giggled like a wicked child. "This guy's gonna be fun! He might even enjoy causing pain as much as me!"

As the Uchiha shifted his glare amongst the black robed shinobi, Kakashi looked around at the Kumo shinobi, still visibly shaken by Sasuke's presence. He glanced over at his teammates who were already eyeing him expectantly and he signaled them wordlessly.

_It's now or never._

The four Konoha ninja sprang into action, blowing past the distracted guards and Akatsuki members and surrounding Sasuke. "Now, Yamato!" Kakashi called out.

Yamato slammed his hands together, forming the snake seal. Giant slabs of wood rose from the ground, incasing Kakashi's team and Sasuke. At the same instant, snakelike branches sprouted from the wooden walls into every direction and tangled themselves around the jinchuuriki, who managed to shatter the first few that reached him, but was soon overcome. As Yamato's jutsu tightened its grip around him, Sasuke's eyes grew heavy and the evil chakra surrounding him began to recede.

Yamato struggled to maintain his chakra flow against the jinchuuriki's resistance. "I just have to hold this for a few more seconds until--"

He was cut off as a spearlike object sliced into his foot from the ground, causing him to grunt in pain. "_Ugh, _what the hell was that?"

Neji looked down at where the object had emerged, his veined white eyes suddenly widening. "Shit! Yamato, move!"

The Hyuuga barely had time to dive into his teammate and knock him out of the way before several enormous clawlike branches erupted through the ground at Yamato's previous position. They tore at the captain's makeshift wooden barrier and through Sasuke's bindings, causing the other teammates to jump back. After the gnarled wood became still, Shizune rushed over to Yamato and tended to his wound. He stared in confused shock at what had appeared.

Shizune looked at him warily. "That…wasn't you, was it?"

"No," he replied, "but it's definitely mokuton. I've never seen it take that form though. The branches look…dead."

Two figures suddenly emerged from the tree's trunk: Kabuto and his child companion. The silver-haired traitor adjusted his spectacles and grinned, gesturing to the girl. "How do you like our recent product? Subject number 244, aka Hinoki. She was created much like you Tenzou-san, except this time we used a fresh sample of your blood in addition to the DNA we still possessed from Shodai Hokage. I found a way to compensate for the genetic drift, thereby producing a specimen with power closer to that of Hashirama himself. However, the gene enhancement had some unfortunate side-effects, rendering her sanity…questionable, at best."

Shizune glowered at him. "Barbarian," she spat.

Kabuto held up a finger condescendingly. "Barbarians do not possess the mental aptitude necessary to outmatch their opponent. While Shodai's mokuton jutsu was originally designed as both a weapon and a construction tool, my experimentation has removed all superfluous aspects of his chakra, which means Hinoki's jutsu is designed purely for combat. Needless to say Tenzou-san," his grin widened, "she is more powerful than you."

Yamato's eyes narrowed. _How did they manage to get a fresh sample of my blood?_ His memory drifted back to when he first met Kabuto on the Bridge of Heaven and Earth. _I remember now, he sliced at me when I was disguised as Sasori and cut me on the arm...damn…_

His thoughts were interrupted as an explosion blew out a section of his wooden barrier behind him and a flurry of kunai shot toward him. Before the captain could react, a spinning flash of white chakra appeared and deflected the knives harmlessly to the side. Neji stood between a squad of Kumo shinobi and his teammates. "I will hold off the Kumo shinobi while you two deal with Yakushi and the girl," he spoke, still facing the enemy. "For the time being, it looks like Akatsuki has their hands full dealing with Kumo."

"That won't last long though," Kakashi warned. He turned to his former student who was still recovering from Yamato's jutsu.

"Sasuke…long time no see eh?"

He looked up at the jounin, no warmth in his blood-red eyes. "Stay out of my way, Kakashi. That's all you have to do, and I'll be willing to let you and the rest of your team live."

"For how long?" he answered him. "I already know how far you're willing to go, but with the kyuubi…you're not even bothering to hold back its chakra. Once that demon gets control, there's no turning back, even if you do manage to kill Itachi."

"I don't care," Sasuke drew his sword slowly. "My life has already been dedicated to the purpose of avenging my clan."

"And how many lives are worth your revenge?" Kakashi questioned. "A hundred? A thousand? You can't just expect us to sit back and let you do as you please."

Sasuke's face turned up in half a smile. "I guess not. But you Konoha ninja and your bonds only serve as an annoyance. Come, then! Stop me if you can."

Kakashi took a step forward, but stopped as he felt a different chakra draw near. Orchimaru emerged from the remains of Yamato's wooden barrier and approached them. "Now now Sasuke, you have bigger game. Akatsuki has come here in full force because they fear your power."

The Uchiha hesitated, then lowered his sword.

"Why don't you go play with them," Orochimaru offered, "and I'll handle this one."

Without another word, Sasuke leaped beyond the wooden walls, leaving the snake sannin and his opponent.

"I imagine you were a little disappointed when I declined your first challenge back in Konoha," Orochimaru said, smiling. "So I thought I would give you another opportunity. Although, the stakes are a little higher this time, it seems."

Kakashi glanced to his side and located his team, all of whom were locked in battle. _I expected it would come to this. I guess this was nothing more than a suicide mission._

Ignoring the powerful chakra that had appeared a few yards away, Neji patiently and methodically fought his way through the gathering squads of soldiers, always managing to remain one step ahead of next opponent with his expertly placed gentle-fist strikes. As his attackers continued to bear down on him, his senses suddenly flashed. Instinctively, he swung toward his blind spot and barely managed to parry a blow aimed at his backside. However, the force of the blow caused him to lose his footing and put him out of position to defend against an incoming strike from another shinobi's sword.

"_Kaiten!" _Neji bellowed, activating his chakra points and spinning, knocking back the sword and the shinobi and creating space for the Hyuuga to recover. _What was that just now? That strike earlier was right in my…_

"Excellent, as to be expected from one of the prime wielders of Byakugan."

The voice of the Raikage seemed to come from nowhere, which caused Neji to tense. He wasn't used to hearing a voice and not being able to see its source.

Nor was he used to flying through the air after being hit by something heavy, which this time around he hadn't seen coming at all.

Neji grunted as he felt a second impact, his body smashing through the wall of Raikage Tower and sliding across the floor. The Hyuuga rose slowly, trying to regain his bearings. He looked up to the Raikage's image coming into focus, standing in the hole he had just careened through.

The Raikage approached him, his eye giving off a malevolent light. "I was looking forward to meeting Konoha shinobi in battle, but to have a member of the Hyuuga clan present was quite a bonus. It's even more of a bonus that the member was you, Neji."

"You seem to have taken a special interest in me," Neji replied, matching the Kumo leader's gaze, "even though more important matters could use your attention. What do you want?"

"Why, to study you, of course," He grinned without a hint of warmth. "I am interested in seeing how the skills of the branch house have progressed."

With that, the Raikage quickly sprang into movement, appearing to phase out of existence. Neji stood poised as the veins around his pearl eyes thickened.

--

Sakura rose from her chair as she heard three knocks on her door. She opened it to reveal someone she had seemingly only met yesterday.

"Ino-san? What can I do for you?"

"Hey Sakura. We need to talk."


End file.
